


Camp Camp:  Counselor Max

by Kamije_Celeek



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Camp camp au, Camper David, Camper Gwen, Counselor Max, Counselor Neil, Counselor Nikki, David's dad is an asshole, F/M, Mom!Nikki, alive Jasper, dad!Max, reverse camp camp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamije_Celeek/pseuds/Kamije_Celeek
Summary: Being the head counselor at Camp Campbell was not at the top of Max's job list.  However, with no other opportunities, he returns to the site of the best summers of his life and begins helping the next generation of campers.  Even if they're a bunch of little shits.  Luckily, he's got backup in the form of Neil and... Tabii?  Oh, and then there's the fact he hasn't seen Nikki in twelve years and she gets hired as a counselor.  And that Sasha thinks he's hot now.  And did we mention the fact that one of his campers idolizes him as a role model?This is going to be a long fucking summer...Now open to chapter requests!





	1. Welcome to Camp Campbell!

**Author's Note:**

> My first Camp Camp fanfiction! Yay!
> 
> Based off the Counselor-Max AU.
> 
> Here's the roster of Camp Campbell for this story!
> 
> Campers:
> 
> Nerris, Harrison, Preston, Nurf, Ered, Dolph, Space Kid, Jaspar, Gwen, and David.
> 
> Counselors:
> 
> Max, Neil, and Tabii.
> 
> Also:
> 
> Quartermaster and Cameron Campbell.
> 
> Yes, Tabii is still the same age as Max, Neil, and Nikki. However, I made her a counselor because I thought it would be funny if she was a part of Camp Campbell. Sasha and Erin are Garden Mothers, while Snake is a Wood Scout leader. Pikeman is still Pikeman, though, and he'll still have a crush on Gwen. Nikki is absent for a reason, but let's just say this Camp Campbell is a lot better off in the cash department. Daniel will appear later, also as a camper.
> 
> On with the story!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two new campers arrive at Camp Campbell and Max deals with some bullshit.

****Ah, Camp Campbell. Truly the jewel of Lake Lilac and the only camp around the lake that wasn't part of another organization. It wasn't militaristic, like the Wood Scouts, or a vacation resort, like the Flower Scouts. It was just a camp. Everybody knew that. It was also the camp that was first to see the sunrise each morning, as was the case today. However, our story begins after sunrise, when the head counselor and one of the campers was waiting outside for more campers to arrive.

"Why are you out here?" David asked Max.

"It's my job to welcome all new campers to Camp Campbell," Max sighed. "Such is the life of head counselor. At least I get paid more than Tabii and Neil."

"Tabii doesn't do much work."

"You'd be surprised how much she actually does around here. I think she's the only one of us who can actually cook something that doesn't taste like complete shit."

"The Quartermaster can cook."

"Mashed potatoes." Max gave David a look. "Why the hell are you out here, anyway? Shouldn't you be at Music Camp?"

"I couldn't find the stupid guitar."

"Aw, fuck. I bet you Nurf took it."

"I think I have to agree."

"Now I have to try and find the damn thing on my break."

The bus pulled up, driven by the Quartermaster. He opened the door and two kids got out—a girl with brown hair and a boy with blonde hair.

"You must be Gwen and Jaspar," Max stated. "Welcome to Camp Campbell."

"Is this Psychology Camp?" Gwen asked.

"This is Camp Campbell. Hate to break it to you, but it's Psychology Camp and More. We offer everything."

"Is it too late to get back on the bus?"

"I asked that my first day when I was a camper. It always is."

"Well, golly!" Jaspar piped up. "This is going to be fun!"

"Oh, God, one of those. Well, kids, we'd better get to the mess hall so you can meet your other counselors. But first, the tour."

Max took the three of them on the 'grand tour' of Camp Campbell before they went into the mess hall. It really lived up to its name, given the mess going on inside.

"Motherfucker!" Neil yelled at the kids. "Nurf, let Space Kid off the ceiling fan!"

"I will achieve space flight!" Space Kid screamed. Max, with a deadpan expression, hit the 'off' switch for the ceiling fan and Space Kid fell to the ground.

"You need to finish your rocket before you achieve space flight, Space Kid," he stated. "And besides, it's more likely you'll snap your neck on the ceiling fan."

"Okay, Max." Space Kid nodded.

"Now, let's get to your afternoon activities." Tabii took the kids outside while Neil blew off a disc. "And let's show the new kids the movie before Campbell gets here."

"But Maxwell, I'm already here!" announced a burly man with graying hair.

"Goddammit." Max pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hello, Mr. Campbell."

"Hello! And hello to you, too, Neil!" Campbell slapped Neil on the back, making the slight man drop the disc. It shattered upon impact.

"Goddammit," Neil groaned.

"Great. Now we actually have to do the whole stupid spiel," Max grumbled.

Outside, Gwen and Jaspar watched their fellow campers go about their activities, not really paying attention to what Neil was saying about the camp. Gwen's gaze followed Max as he picked up the biggest kid—Nurf—and demanded that he return a guitar.

"I don't have it," Nurf mocked.

"Cut the shit, Nurf. You're the only guy at camp who would even  _touch_  the damn thing besides me and David. Now give it back or no dessert for the rest of the week."

"Fine." Nurf went over to 'Behavioral Correction Camp' and pulled out a guitar. Max took it from him and handed it to David.

"There. You have the damn guitar back."

"You're doing a marvelous job, Maximillian!" complimented Mr. Campbell.

"It's just Max, sir," Max muttered.

Suddenly, a black SUV drove up. FBI agents got out and started shooting at Mr. Campbell, who escaped in a helicopter. Gwen made her way over to Psychology Camp while Jaspar stood by himself. Tabii approached him.

"Hey, kid, what camp are you signed up for?" she asked.

"I'm signed up for Camp Camp."

"Camp Camp?"

"You know—the outdoor experience!"

"Oh! Uh… okay! Just find something to do, then!"

"Hey, Max!" David called. "I wrote a song about the camp!"

"Oh, dear God," Max muttered.

David, despite hating Camp Campbell itself, idolized Max. Nobody knew why, least of all Max himself. He didn't see himself as a good role model for the kids—after all, he'd graduated high school and college with honors and with a degree in business administration (and a minor in music) but was stuck at the camp, clearly showing what those fancy pieces of paper had done for him. Neil was the same way, but was working at the camp as a way to beef up his resume. Tabii was a cosmetologist working at the camp for extra cash.

None of them were good role models, really.

"Let's hear it, then," Max sighed, sitting on the extra stool at Music Camp. David grinned and strummed his guitar.

" _There's a place I know that's tucked away!_

_"A place where you and I can stay!_

_"Where we can go to run and play_

_"And have adventures every day!_

_"I know it sounds hard to believe_

_"But guys and gals, it's true._

_"Camp Campbell is the place for me and you!"_

Max raised an eyebrow.

"That the first song you've ever written?" he asked David.

"Yep!"

"Not bad for a first try. It's a good campfire jam, at the very least." David's eyes lit up at the half-praise.

"Thanks, Max!" He moved to hug the counselor, then backed off, remembering Max's rule on personal space.

"It's no problem, David." He ruffled the boy's hair and David grew a massive grin on his face.

* * *

That night, Max headed off to bed in the counselor's cabin. Tabii and Neil were already in their respective beds, asleep. Max had done a last check to make sure none of the kids were up and about, double-checking that they hadn't replaced themselves with knitted dummies like he had at Camp Campbell as a camper.

Since nobody else was awake, he dug into his pillow and pulled out a battered, patched-up teddy bear, which he cuddled under his arm.

"Good night," he mumbled.


	2. Camp Counselor Nikki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki arrives at Camp Campbell and Max realizes twelve years is a long-ass time...

"Jesus Christ."

Max slammed his head into the desk as Neil and Tabii looked over with concern.

"Are you okay, Max?" Neil asked.

"It's the goddamn campers. Not only are we having issues with the ones we already  _have_ , but someone just sent their kid our way."

"Why don't we hire another counselor?" Tabii suggested.

"Because we don't have the fucking money to do that."

"Not necessarily," Neil piped up. "I found a box of emergency funds in the Quartermaster's store behind a box of grenades. We could use that to hire another counselor."

"Good idea."

"Could we get another girl in here, then?" Tabii asked. "We only have  _three_  female campers and I'm sure another female counselor would help balance it out."

"Maybe," Max sighed. "We'll have to see who applies. Neil, start with Camp Campbell alumni—the people who were here with us."

"What about  _me_?" Tabii asked.

"I need you to help me with wrangling the brats while Neil finds us a new counselor."

"Oh, fine." Tabii headed out with Max while Neil started looking through the camp files. He found a few people—former counselors and campers alike—but none of them wanted to come back. His eyes landed on the last name on the page other than his—Nicolette Morrison.

_Nikki…_

He picked up the phone and dialed the number he knew—one that wasn't listed.

 _"Hello?"_  she said upon picking up.

"Nikki! It's Neil!"

_"Oh, hey, Neil! Why are you calling me with an unlisted number? Are you in trouble? Do you need money?"_

"What—no! Nikki, I'm working at Camp Campbell."

_"That explains it. But still, why are you calling me?"_

"So, we've been having some trouble with the campers. This batch is a  _lot_  more trouble than we were—which is saying a  _lot_ , considering what absolute  _shits_  you, me, and Max were."

_"I'd say it was more me and Max than you. We were the ones causing trouble while you tried to keep us from going overboard."_

"God… Nikki, I'm trying to ask if you'll come up to Camp Campbell and be a counselor for the rest of the summer!"

_"Oh… sure!"_

"Wait, really?"

_"Yeah. It'll be fun to be up at Camp Campbell again. Especially if I'm partially in charge!"_

"Great! When can you get here?"

_"Tomorrow good?"_

"Tomorrow is perfect! See you then!"

_"See you!"_

Neil hung up the phone. He felt giddy that he'd managed to find a counselor without placing an ad in the paper. Who  _knows_  what kind of possible cult leader that could've come to try and take over the camp? He headed outside, where he was about to tell Max and Tabii the good news when suddenly, there was an explosion.

"FUCK!" he heard Max yell. He could see the head counselor running towards the pier in a panic, where the Wood Scouts were docking. There was a smoking crater in the ground nearby, meaning the Wood Scouts were attacking.

"Go forward, men!" their leader, a kid with a face full of bad acne, declared.

"Shit," Neil muttered.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?" Max snapped at Pikeman.

"We're recruiting new members," Pikeman replied. "Master Snake asked us to."

"Me and that back-stabbing candy-lover are gonna have a few words. Get the fuck out of here!"

"You'll have to make us, Music Man." Max growled and took out his pocketknife. "Okay! Okay! We're leaving!"

Pikeman spotted the campers, who were watching from behind Tabii. His gaze landed on a very specific brown-haired girl, who was looking nervous at the possible invasion.

"But, Maxwell, we will return for your campers… and succeed."

The boat went back across the lake and Max put his pocketknife away.

"Who was that?" David asked Max.

"They were the Wood Scouts. First attack of the summer."

" _First_ attack?"

"They'll be back. They want you guys to become like them—militaristic assholes who think they're above everybody."

"And who's Snake?"

"He's their group leader. Think of him as their head counselor."

"All right, then."

In all the confusion, Neil forgot to tell Max he'd hired their old friend.

* * *

The next day, Max was in the camp office, taking care of a few things that had piled up while listening to rap through his headphones. Tabii was making lunch in the mess hall. Neil wasn't even at the camp—rather, he'd headed down to the town of Sleepy Peak to pick up some groceries. As a result, the only adult watching over the kids was the Quartermaster, who everybody knew was doing his own thing. So, yeah, the kids were unsupervised. Each of the counselors assumed the other counselors were keeping an eye on things.

"Hey, Davey!" Jaspar called.

"What is it, Jaspar?" David asked.

"Do you wanna do something today?"

"Like what?" Gwen inquired.

"Like row over to Spooky Island and explore!"

"But Max said we're not supposed to go over there," Nerris spoke up. "He'd probably kill us if we tried."

"Nobody ever got anywhere by following the rules," Jaspar informed them. "Besides, it's not like there's anybody out here to stop us, like they hired a new counselor and forgot to tell us!"

A car pulled up—a black Jeep that none of them recognized. A pretty woman with long, aqua-colored hair tied in a high ponytail got out. She was wearing a yellow T-shirt (Camp Campbell standard issue) and a pair of bright red shorts. Her eyes looked over the campers in front of her, who were all staring at this stranger in their midst.

"Jeez, the standards have really gone down over the years," she commented.

"Who the hell is she?" Preston demanded to know.

"She's really pretty," Harrison murmured, causing Nerris to glare at the woman.

"Velcome to Camp Campbell!" Dolph greeted her, holding out his hand. She accepted the handshake. "I am Dolph!"

"Well, Dolph, I'm Nikki. Is there an adult around here I could talk to?"

"There's a few, but we don't know where they are," David admitted.

"That's not good. How many of you are there?"

Before anybody could answer, there was an explosion from down by the pier. Fires were breaking out in the bushes. Nikki rushed to the hose and ran towards the flames. David ran over and turned on the water as the newcomer doused the bushes in liquid. There was only smoking, scorched branches where the fire had been.

"That was cool!" Space Kid gushed as Nikki wound the hose back up.

"It was basic fire-fighting skills," she stated.

"Could you teach me?"

"Well…"

Suddenly, she was surrounded by campers, all clamoring for her attention.

Inside the office, Max heard the explosion, but ignored it, figuring Neil or Tabii would take care of it. Then came the yelling and arguing. It lasted for a few minutes before he ripped off his headphones in annoyance and stomped outside, papers crumpled in his hand as he slammed the door open.

"What the  _fuck_  is going on out here?!" he yelled. His gaze landed on the campers surrounding a beautiful woman with aqua-colored hair. He blinked a couple times in confusion, then stared.

"Oh, there's an adult!" David piped up, breaking Max out of his trance.

"All right, you little shits," he growled. "Go to your activities. Lunch is in thirty minutes."

The campers dispersed and the woman got to her feet. Now that he had a good look at her, she looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Thanks," she sighed, dusting herself off. She looked directly at him. "Have we… met?"

"I don't think so. I think I'd remember you if we had."

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember meeting you, too. But… I'm just here about the counselor thing."

"Oh. I should've figured. Come on. Let's get you set up." She followed him towards the office. "I'm head counselor, by the way. My name's Max." She then stopped dead in her tracks. "Something wrong?"

"Holy shit," she whispered.

"What's up?"

"Max, it's me! Nikki!"

Max felt his heart leap into his throat.

"Wow! Hey, Nik!" was what he said on the outside. On the inside, however…

_Holy shit, Nikki. I know I haven't seen you in twelve years, but you got fucking_ **hot** _. Wanna blow this place and go get drinks at The Only Bar before we desecrate the Camp-Mobile's backseat?_

Yep, no way he could say that.

"I can't believe you're head counselor," she told him as they headed into the office.

"Neither can I."

"I mean, you'd think Neil would've mentioned it when he called yesterday—" She was cut off by Max slamming a drawer shut.

"Neil hired you?"

"Yep!"

"That bastard. You'd think he would've  _told me_."

"You didn't know?"

"Yesterday we dealt with a Wood Scout invasion. Guess he forgot in all the confusion."

"Where  _is_  Neil, anyway?"

"He should've been keeping an eye on the kids." Max handed her the form. "Fill this out."

"Well, nobody was out there and none of the campers knew where an adult was."

"I'm going to kill both of them."

"Both of who?"

"Neil and Tabii. They should be watching the kids! Dammit!" He banged his fist on the table.

"I'll fill this out so you can watch the kids."

"Thanks, Nik."

"You're welcome."

Max headed outside.

* * *

"Hey, Max!" Neil greeted the head counselor.

"Neil, can we have a talk?" The kids were inside and the groceries had been put away.

"Sure." They went into the counselors' cabin, far away from everyone else. Nikki and Tabii were watching the campers, so nobody could overhear. Neil hadn't even seen her yet.

"Neil, why didn't you tell me that you hired  _fucking Nikki_  as a counselor?!"

"Oh, shit. I forgot."

"Yeah. You  _also_  forgot that she was coming  _today_  and that your fucking  _job_  is to keep the campers out of trouble!"

"What happened while I was at the store?"

"Explosion, plus the campers nearly suffocated Nikki."

"But that's normal. Except the Nikki part."

"Jesus Christ." Max sat down on his bed. "How'd you even get ahold of her?"

"Well, remember how my dad and her mom kind of hit it off at Parents' Day that first year?"

"I thought it was because your dad's a big-shot philosophy professor and her mom's a gold-digging whore."

"That was it at first, but then they started dating. They got married after our last summer at Camp Campbell. I had Nikki's number because she's my stepsister." Max let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were going to say she's your girlfriend or something."

"Hell no! I lived with her until college!" He smirked at Max. "Your old crush on her came back?"

"I  _didn't_ have a crush on her! We've been  _over this_!"

"If anybody cried at camp other than her, you'd tell them to suck it up. When  _she_  started crying, you'd try to make her feel better as quickly as possible. Especially when it was  _your fault_. Need I remind you of the day she got her first period?"

"Shut the fuck up! I was an asshole that day and she wasn't even dying!"

"You love Nikki. Don't keep denying it."

"Okay, fine. I'm  _attracted_  to her. She's hot now."

"Hey, that's my sister you're talking about."

"Make up your damn mind, Neil. Do you want me to like her or not?!"

"I'm torn, because I did threaten a couple of her ex-boyfriends in high school, but I know you've liked her since we were kids. Don't hurt her or I'll get Nurf to beat the shit out of you."

"That's fair." Max shrugged.

"Good luck hiding your attraction to her this time. It's a lot more obvious now that we're older." Max grabbed his pillow and put it on his lap self-consciously.

Things were about to change at Camp Campbell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done!
> 
> Next time: Daniel joins Camp Campbell and the counselors try to fight back.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	3. Dammit, Daniel!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things feel a little heated in the counselors' cabin. Oh, and a new camper shows up for Music Camp.

Max quietly closed the door to the cabin. He'd just finished his check-in for the night and was dead tired from the events of the day. Not just the fact that the kids had chosen to set bushes by the pier on fire, or the fact that he'd had to deal with ten campers on his own while his coworkers were off doing what-fucking-ever, but he'd been faced with the reality that his first crush—a girl he'd given up on  _ever_  being with—was now back at the very place they'd met and he'd had the three best summers of his life. And she was even more amazing than he remembered.

He headed over to his bed, only to realize that Nikki was curled up in it. He'd forgotten to get out a cot for her to sleep on. She was wearing essentially an older version of the clothes he'd known her to wear when they were kids, and she looked so cute, all curled up. If it had been  _anybody_  other than Nikki, he would've pulled their ass out of his bed before they knew what was happening. But… it was Nikki. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Plus, she'd probably maul him if he woke her up. No, he'd just find a spot nearby for the night.

At least he would've, if he could remember where fucking Neil put the sleeping bags last time he reorganized the storage shed.

_Dammit._

He gently reached into his pillow, though, to try and free Mr. Honey Nuts. He got his fingers around the bear's leg when a hand grabbed his arm. Nikki had grabbed him in her sleep. The curly-haired man tried to pull away, but she pulled him closer to her.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_

"…stay…" she mumbled in her sleep.

_Abort. Abort. Abort!_

Max took off his shoes one-handed (a feat that surely would've impressed Nikki if she were awake) and stuffed his socks into them. He then laid next to Nikki, who wrapped her arms around him to  _cuddle_.

 _Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. She's_ really _soft. And warm. No! Focus on not getting turned on…_

He turned so that he was facing  _away_  from the object of his attraction, so if anything  _sprouted up_  during the night, she wouldn't notice it in the morning. He  _prayed_  nothing would sprout up, but he knew it was unlikely with her so close by.

Max closed his eyes and let himself drift off. Nikki cuddling him from behind made him feel as safe as he did with Mr. Honey Nuts. He found himself wanting it to be the norm, but he pushed that desire deep down into his psyche, which woke him up a bit. There was no room for that kind of thinking as head counselor. He had to think about the kids.

_They could walk in and we could both lose our jobs… if Campbell gave a damn._

Nikki buried her face in his back and mumbled something he didn't catch.

 _Goddammit, Nikki. You're adorable and sexy at the same time._   _Stop it._

He felt himself drifting away again, this time deeper than before.

_I think I could get used to this…_

* * *

_"Max…" Nikki said in his dream._

_"Oh, hey Nik."_

_"It's so great to be back at Camp Campbell with my two best friends…"_

_"I know. Welcome back, Nikki."_

_"Well, actually, you're_ more _than my best friend. I really like you, Max."_

_"Max."_

"Max!"

Max sat up with a start as he realized Nikki was calling his name  _in the real world_. She was sitting beside him in his twin-sized camp bed, wide-awake and looking confused as hell as she stared at him.

"What?! What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why are you in my bed?"

"Uh, this is  _my_  bed. You just fell asleep in it."

"I did? Well, sorry. You could've just woken me up and gotten me a sleeping bag."

"You looked comfortable. Also, you'd probably maim me."

"That's fair. I bit Neil a couple times when he woke me up in middle school and high school." She climbed over Max and reached under the bed to pull out… her bra. He tried to look away as she put it on without taking off her shirt.

_Do_ **not** _look down right now, Nikki. I swear to fucking God, do_ **not** _look down at my lap._

"Well, time to start the day!" She turned to leave, then faced Max again. "Oh, you might want to take care of the little problem in your pants. See you at breakfast!"

Max groaned as he found himself alone in the cabin. He grabbed a couple things out of his dresser and headed to the showers, hoping to avoid the campers—or worse, Neil and Tabii—and not have them ask questions about why he was heading there so early.

Once that was done, he went to the mess hall, where the campers were almost done eating.

"Where have you been?" Neil asked. "I saw you cuddling with Nikki when I got up this morning."

"I had a  _surprise_  when I woke up this morning. Your sister didn't help things by putting on her bra in front of me—"

"The  _fuck_?!"

"— _without_  taking off her shirt."

"Still, the  _fuck_?!"

"I don't know. I'm late because I was taking care of… something."

"Oh. That still doesn't explain why Nikki was in your bed."

"Because we didn't set hers up and she thought it was hers." He lowered his voice. "Also, she grabbed my hand while I was trying to grab something from under my pillow. I couldn't get her to let go, so I just went with it."

"Don't go too far. You want to keep your job, don't you?"

"Of  _course_  I do. I hate this place, but I'm making decent money. Even if I care about Nikki, she's not worth risking my ass for right now."

"Good to know, because if  _you_  get fired,  _I'm_  head counselor, and I don't know shit about doing  _half_ the crap you do to keep this place alive."

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure that Campbell only hired me because I have a degree in business."

"And a minor in music."

"That's not important."

"You got a degree?" Nikki asked, sliding into a seat across from Max. "Cool!"

"In business. Again, I'm pretty sure that's the main reason Campbell hired me."

"You're technically my boss, though, so I'm willing to listen to you!"

"Great. Then how about  _you_  handle the campers today so I can finish the fucking paperwork that's piled up?"

"You got it! Me and Neil are on top of it!"

"Me?" Neil sputtered. "Why me?!"

"Because you're more experienced with these kids than I am. I don't even know their names, except for Dolph."

"Nerris, Harrison, Dolph, Nurf, Ered, Preston, Space Kid, Gwen, Jaspar, and David. Those are all the campers we have right now."

"And Daniel's coming today," Max added.

"Daniel?"

"New camper? I told you about him the day you hired Nikki."

"Oh, right. He's the reason you said we needed a new counselor."

"He's signed up for Music Camp, like David."

"Cute!" Nikki cooed. "I wonder where he is." Max checked his watch.

"Well, you two get the campers started on their activities for the day. I've got to go greet the new camper."

"Can I come?!"

All three counselors jumped at the sudden appearance of David.

"Jesus fucking Christ, David!" Max snapped. "We've been over this!"

"Sorry." David's face fell and Max couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at the little guy.

"Whatever. Sure, you can come. It's better than waiting by myself."

"Yay!" David clapped his hands. "I'll wait for you by the flagpole!" He did the Camp Campbell salute—despite the number of times Max had actively discouraged the campers from doing it due to its  _actual_  meaning—and ran outside.

"If you don't adopt that kid, I will," Nikki told Max bluntly.

"Why don't you  _both_  adopt him?" Neil joked. His two co-counselors blushed and Max excused himself to go meet up with David.

"So, who's the new camper?" David asked as he and Max walked out to the gate.

"His name is Daniel, and like I said, he's signed up for Music Camp, like you."

"That sounds  _great_! I'll have a friend at camp!"

"What about Jaspar and Gwen? Aren't  _they_  your friends?"

"Yeah, but Gwen says my song is dumb. And Jaspar always wants to go explore Spooky Island."

"Which you  _know_  is off-limits."

"Yep." David nodded.

The bus pulled up, driven by Quartermaster. Max pulled David out of the way before the ten-year-old could get hit. As the door opened, a little boy with blonde hair jumped out.

"Good morning!" he greeted Max and David. Max's jaw dropped as he got a good look at the kid.

It was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed version of  _David_.

"You've  _got_  to be fucking kidding me," he groaned.

"Welcome to Camp Campbell!" David greeted him.

"Thanks, friend!" Daniel replied.

"I'm your friend already?!"

"Of course, if you'll be mine!"

Max's eyes were wide as one twitched.

_Two Davids. Two_ **fucking** _Davids, for the rest of the summer? Hell fucking no!_

"Well, David, as much as I hate to do this," Max laughed nervously, "I think I'm gonna have to take a day off!"

"Aw, Max, are you sure?" both kids asked in unison. He quickly brought them into the mess hall and dashed for the Camp-Mobile, tearing out of camp as soon as he could.

"You must be Daniel," Nikki greeted the new camper. "I'm Nikki, one of your counselors."

"Howdy, Nikki!" Daniel greeted her. She glanced over at David.

"Where'd Max go?"

"He said something about taking the day off and left in the Camp-Mobile," David told her with a shrug. Nikki looked from David to Daniel and immediately understood.

"Well, kids, let's have some fun today!"

* * *

Daniel and David were the only ones over at Music Camp, and David found himself wishing Max was there to teach Daniel guitar the way the head counselor had taught David.

 _You have to keep your shoulders loose, or your sound will suffer. And don't use your fucking fingers to strum all the time—use a pick or you'll end up with cuts,_  Max's voice echoed in the little musician's head.

Daniel pulled a violin out of the truck that served as the storage spot for instruments and started playing. He was pretty good, but David knew Max preferred guitar.

_Or does he just like good musicians?_

David pushed that thought out of his mind. There was no  _way_  that Max would pick Daniel over him, right?

"Max seems nice," Daniel commented. "Except for the language."

"That's just how Max is," David replied. "I don't mind it anymore, though! He says trying not to swear in front of us would take more energy than he has."

"And you're really good at guitar."

"Max taught me how to be better. My playing's improved a lot since he started teaching me. I'm not as stiff and my fingers don't hurt as much as they used to."

"Wow! Think he could teach me? Maybe I'll even become better than you!"

Alarm bells started going off in David's head.

* * *

For the rest of the day, David kept a careful eye on Daniel, who was talking nonsense to the other campers and to Tabii. He spoke of positive emotions versus negative ones, and how they all needed to 'ascend'. It made the redhead very uncomfortable. Then came Daniel's punch, which he claimed to the counselors that he was making for everybody to enjoy. David caught him pouring rat poison into it, and was immediately alarmed. He wished Max was there to stop Daniel, but the head counselor had yet to return.

"Okay, let's all enjoy the punch that Daniel made!" Tabii called to the campers. Everyone cheered.

"Wait!" David yelled. Everyone stared at him. "Before we do, I challenge Daniel to a music battle!"

"Aw, c'mon, David," Nikki chided.

"Please, Nikki? I never have anybody to play music against except Max, and he's better than me!"

Nikki raised her eyebrows, then nodded.

"Sure. Go for it."

David pulled out his guitar. In response, Daniel pulled out his violin.

What followed was what could only be described as a camp-jam battle of epic proportions. It only ended when Daniel drank some of his punch and had to be rushed to the hospital.

* * *

The following morning, David was sitting by himself by the flagpole, feeling sad that Daniel had been such a bad guy after all. And that Max had yet to return from his day off.

"Hey, don't look so fucking depressed." His head snapped up as he realized Max was standing there.

" _Max_!" he cheered, hugging his favorite counselor around the legs before remembering Max's thing about contact. He let go and Max ruffled his hair again.

"I didn't realize you'd miss me that much. Where's Daniel?"

"He had to leave."

"Oh, thank God. I couldn't handle both of you."

"Really?" David felt his heart sinking.

"Besides, he's a knock-off David. I prefer the real one."

David's eyes lit up and his heart jumped back up. Then he tilted his head.

"What did you do on your day off?"

"I bought a new bed. I'm moving into the camp office and giving Nikki my old one."

"Aw. Can I still visit?"

"Of course, provided you don't wake me up in the middle of the night again."

"I said I was sorry!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Max headed over to the Camp-Mobile and opened the back. Two boxes were in the trunk—one containing a mattress and the other with a frame.

"Mind giving me a hand, Davey?"

David smiled and nodded. Once the bed was set up, David glanced at the calendar and saw an event set for the following week.

"Max, what's the Camporee?"

Max stiffened and looked at the calendar.

"Aw, shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, next time we'll see the Camporee.
> 
> Max's feelings for Nikki are a major part of the story, and that will result in a matchmaking attempt from the campers. And the Flower Scouts.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	4. Camporee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The annual Camporee arrives and Cameron Campbell makes a bet that's a little too pricy...

"Okay, guys. Time to go through this annual bullshit," Max sighed to the campers and his fellow counselors.

"Wait, what's going on?" Nikki asked him.

"The Camporee."

"Aw, man. I remember that." Gwen raised her hand. "Yes, Gwen?"

"What's the Camporee?"

"It's a competition between the three camps around the lake," Max explained. "Us, the Flower Scouts, and the Wood Scouts."

"That's  _right_ , Maximus!" Mr. Campbell agreed, hopping behind his counselors.

"For the love of—" Max groaned, face-palming.

"What do we get if we win?" Harrison piped up.

"We get a dumb wooden trophy, a year's supply of smores, our picture in the newspaper, and bragging rights," Max replied with a deadpan expression. Campbell had a guilty expression. "God, what did you agree to?"

"The Wood Scout leader offered me the profits from their popcorn sales if we won. If we lose, the boys here have to join the Wood Scouts." The campers and Tabii gasped. Nikki, Neil, and Max just sighed.

"At least that's the worst that can happen. The Flower Scouts hate us."

"They hate us?" inquired Space Kid.

"Yeah, they do," Tabii replied. "I used to be one, but they hate Camp Campbell because we rough it and we're co-ed."

"Yeah," Max agreed. "There's no way in Hell that the Flower Scouts will want anything from us. C'mon, kids. Let's get ready." They followed Max over to the tents.

Mr. Campbell, on the other hand, was preparing his speech for when Camp Campbell won.

* * *

At quarter to ten, the Flower Scout van pulled up. It was driven by one of the two Garden Mothers of Troop 789, Sasha. She was the same age as the counselors at Camp Campbell, and had even gone to Flower Scout Camp with Tabii. Back then, they'd been good friends, but that friendship had been shattered by Tabii abandoning the Flower Scouts to work at Camp Campbell. The other Garden Mother, Erin, was in the seat next to her.

"Ugh, this is stupid," Sasha complained. "Why do  _I_  have to come? From what I heard, Camp Campbell has, like, four counselors, their Quartermaster, and Cameron Campbell."

"Because we were told by Miss Priss to keep an eye on the Flower Scouts and make sure they're not infected by Camp Campbell," Erin replied.

"Whatever." They got out of the van and ushered their Flower Scouts over to the flagpole area. Sasha turned to the mess hall and saw traitor Tabii standing with who could only be the adult versions of Neil, Nikki and… Sasha felt her heart pounding as her eyes landed on the last counselor in the row.

He had soft-looking, curly black hair that was held off his neck by a scrunchie and a skin tone that was a lovely sun-shade color. His eyes were a blue-green that seemed to pierce her soul and his face held a devil-may-care expression, along with a few hairs on his chin. On top of that, he had a small, thick silver hoop earring in each ear. His clothes were that of a typical Camp Campbell counselor, but he had a blue hoodie wrapped around his waist and she could tell that his muscles were well-defined from working outdoors, even from the distance she was at. Her breathing became labored.

"Oh my God," she squeaked to Erin, motioning towards the guy. "Who the fuck is that and how can I get closer to him?"

"I don't know," Erin whispered. "I think he's their head counselor. He's not as hot or rugged as Snake, though."

"Shut your mouth, Erin."

"Oh, fuck," they heard Tabii groan. "Sasha and Erin are here."

"Goddammit," the older Nikki grumbled. Sasha flipped her hair and walked over, completely blowing off the first three counselors in the lineup.

"Hello," she purred to the last one, the curly-haired bad-boy type. He looked at her with a mixture of disgust and alarm as she clung to his arm and walked her fingers up to his face. "I'm Sasha, Garden Mother and currently single."

"I know who you are, Sasha," he replied as he tried to pull away. "We were at camp at the same time. It's me, Max." She gasped and loosened her grip enough for him to free himself.

"Max?!" she asked in shock. "Oh my God! You got  _hot_!" Her expression was full of glee.

"Um… thanks?" He backed away, then his gaze went over to the gate. "Never thought I'd say this, but thank  _God_  the Wood Scouts are here." He ran towards where the army-style transport truck was pulling up, away from Sasha.

"What the  _fuck_ , Sasha?" Tabii asked, pulling her ex-friend's arm so that they were away from everything.

"What? He's  _hot_! What happened to you, Tabii? You  _used_ to be cool!"

"I realized that Neil was right—the Flower Scouts are full of ignorant fucking  _cunts_!"

"Well, once a Flower Scout, always a Flower Scout!" Sasha crossed her arms. "You're just here to hit on Max, aren't you?"

"What?! No! Besides, we  _all_ know he has a thing for Nikki."

"A  _thing_?"

"You know, like a 'cover-my-lap-with-a-pillow-or-something-until-I'm-somewhere-private' thing."

"Are you  _serious_? Over  _fucking Nikki_?!"

"According to Neil, he liked her back when we were all at camp  _twelve years ago_! It just wasn't like that." Tabii narrowed her eyes. "Don't get any ideas, bitch. Max hated you back then, and he still hates you now."

"Well, I'm about to raise the stakes." She went over to Cameron Campbell and tapped his shoulder. "Mr. Campbell, I would like to propose another stake into this competition."

"Yes, what is it?" he asked.

"If the Flower Scouts win, we get to bring the head counselor from Camp Campbell back to our camp for the rest of the summer."

" _What?!_ " Max yelled. "Uh, no!  _Fuck_  no!" Campbell held up a hand to Max's face.

"Hang on, Maximin. And what do  _we_  get if we win?"

"For fuck's sake…" Max muttered.

"If  _you_  guys win, you get half of our cookie sales," Sasha proposed.

"Deal," Campbell agreed.

" _What?!_ " Max yelped. Sasha smirked seductively as Campbell walked away. Max was rooted to his spot in shock and barely reacted as Sasha slipped her arm around his.

"Well, well,  _Max_ , it seems as if you and I will be spending a  _lot_  of time together this summer. Hope you like cookies… and  _me_."

Nikki glared at the two and let out a deep-throated growl as she began creeping towards them. Neil and Tabii grabbed her arms before she got too far and she struggled to get free, snapping her teeth and snarling in rage.

"Calm down, Nikki!" David begged her. "We aren't going to let Max go with the Flower Scouts!"

"We aren't?" Gwen asked.

"Would you rather have me or Max as head counselor?" Neil inquired of the campers.

"Max," they all answered in unison.

"Well, then we  _have_  to win. We're not losing campers  _or_  counselors today."

* * *

Needless to say, the first few rounds were a disaster. David and Jaspar managed to pull through a couple like baking, flower-watering, and scrapbooking, earning them some points, but Camp Campbell was in dead last.

"Neil," Max called. He'd managed to get away from Sasha and over to his group.

"What is it, Max?"

"I want you to promise me something. If we lose to the Flower Scouts, you will shoot me in the head."

"What?! No!"

"I'm not spending the rest of the summer as Sasha's toy! If you won't shoot me in the head, shoot me somewhere non-vital so I can spend the rest of the summer in the hospital."

"I'm not going to shoot you!"

"I will!" Nikki said, popping up with an unhappy expression. "I'd rather have you in the hospital than with stupid Sasha all summer. I mean, we  _just_  found each other again, and I'm not losing you to her!" She gripped Max's shirt and got within two inches of his face so that they were eye to eye. Everyone stared at her, including Max himself. "Uh, I mean,  _we_  aren't losing you to  _them_ … heh."

She released Max's shirt and backed away quickly.

The Wood Scout section of the competition didn't go much better. Max had Nikki and Tabii making sure Sasha didn't get too close to him, and he found himself wishing for death. Then, an idea sprung into his head.

"Kids, huddle up!" he called. They all crowded around their head counselor. "I know it seems hopeless right now, but—"

"Are you about to give a 'work together' speech?" Neil asked.

"Hell no. Kids, do  _not_  work together. I want five of you to each come up with an event. Dolph, Ered, Harrison, Nerris, and David, you're up."

Dolph was first, and he came up with the idea of painting a perfect replica of a famous work. He was the only one able to do it because neither of the other camps had an art program to that degree.

Ered had motorcycle repair, which was a disaster for everyone except her.

"Dammit!" Sasha cursed.

"Yes!" Max whisper-cheered, pumping his fist.

Harrison's illusion event went just as terribly for the Flower Scouts, who were almost bitten by the camp mascot—the platypus.

Nerris tried to have everyone destroy the one ring.

* * *

"Final event," David announced. "Camp songs."

"Camp songs?" asked Daisy, the lead Flower Scout.

"Camp songs." He pulled out his guitar.

"I've got this," Rosemary, another Flower Scout, giggled, pulling out her own ukulele. He stared at her then had a determined expression.

" _I know a place that's tucked away,_

_"A place where you and I can stay._

_"Where we can go to laugh and play_

_"And have adventures every day!_

_"I know it sounds hard to believe!_

_"But guys and gals, it's true._

_"Camp Campbell is the place for me and you!"_

Rosemary strummed her uke, but she wasn't able to match David's energy. That was  _exactly_  what Max had been counting on—David's endless energy and eagerness to please him.

"And the winners are… Camp Campbell!" Mr. Campbell announced, handing the trophy to David.

" _Yes_!" Max yelled, hugging Nikki tightly. She hugged him back, squealing just as loudly. They stared at each other for a second and quickly let go, backing away from each other. Gwen and Jaspar watched the interaction and started giggling.

"Ugh! What _ever_!" snapped Sasha. "C'mon, ladies."

"That was  _fantastic_!" Mr. Campbell told Max. "Not that I expected any less from  _your_  campers, Maxim!"

"It's just Max."

"What did I say?" He pumped his arm. "I earned two hundred dollars today from the Flower Scouts and fifty from the Wood Scouts. It was a good day!"

He left and the summer residents of Camp Campbell were left alone in the campground.

"Hey, kids," Tabii called. "How about we have a fire and roast marshmallows to celebrate?"

"Woo!" everybody cheered. Max headed down after Nikki followed the campers, watching her the whole time. Gwen noticed from behind him and tugged at Neil's shirt.

"Yes, Gwen?" he asked.

"Neil, does Max like Nikki?" she inquired.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because he stares at her a lot and he grabs her hand sometimes. And he hates hugs and being touched, but he just hugged her all by himself, without her hugging him first." Neil smirked. At least the campers caught on quickly.

"Yes, Max  _does_  like Nikki. He's liked her since  _we_  were campers at Camp Campbell." Gwen smiled.

"Then why doesn't he tell her?"

"Well, you see, Gwen, when you get older, it becomes harder to make friends. Max and Nikki are really good friends, and Max doesn't want to ruin their friendship on the chance that Nikki doesn't like him back that way."

"But she  _does_!"

"Max is bad at picking up clues like that."

"Can't we help them?"

"Maybe. Come up with an idea and I'll get back to you on that."

* * *

At the campfire, Max watched the campers roast marshmallows and make smores. He felt a pang from his own days at Camp Campbell, remembering the day he was initiated into the Order of the Sparrow and handed leadership. He still had the staff, and had even brought it with him that summer. Maybe he'd hand down leadership to one of this new generation.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Nikki asked, sitting down next to her old friend.

"Remember that first summer at Camp Campbell? When the counselors spent an  _entire day_  trying to get us to respect nature and shit?"

"There were a lot of days like that."

"Specifically, everyone but me did it because they thought they were getting a prize?"

"And the prize was just a bonfire and a stupid stick that  _you_  got."

"I still have it."

"No way! You thought it was the stupidest thing ever!"

"Yeah, well… maybe it's time to pass it down."

"You  _want_  to do the Order of the Sparrow thing?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" She smiled.

"Aw… you're not as much of an aloof hardass as you try to make us think." She elbowed him.

"Whatever." He crossed his arms and looked away.

"Max…"

"Fine. It was a fun day anyway, so… you gonna help me?"

"We doing this racist or accurate?"

"Accurate. I feel like they'd appreciate that more."

They were both silent for a moment before David came up and sat between them.

"It's been a good day," he declared to both counselors. His eyes drifted closed and he leaned on Nikki's shoulder. She looked at Max and they smiled at each other.

If you didn't know better, you would've said it was a beautiful family moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, Max will perform the Order of the Sparrow ceremony with the help of Nikki and Neil, who actually know what it is. Tabii will be initiated along with the campers, but Gwen is taking notice of Max and Nikki's chemistry.
> 
> That will lead to something in the chapter after the next one.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	5. The Order of the Sparrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to pass down the sacred staff...

It was early morning at Camp Campbell.

All of the campers were awake and out of their tents, rubbing their eyes and yawning. None of them were sure why the counselors had gotten them up so early. To their knowledge, Max hated getting up super-early and even discouraged the campers from doing so because one of them would wake  _him_  up. But today, something was different.

"Anybody know what's going on?" Nerris asked.

"Nope," David replied. "I'm sure it'll be great, though!"

Suddenly, a flaming arrow lit the firepit in front of them. They looked up to see Max, Nikki, Neil, Tabii, and Quartermaster wearing traditional Indian garb—the kind that was from India, not the Native American stereotype. Max even had his hair down and was holding some kind of staff.

" _Shubh prabhaat_ ," he greeted the campers.

"What?" they asked.

"I said, 'good morning'."

"What language was that?" Jaspar asked in admiration.

"Hindi."

"Why are you all dressed like that?" Gwen inquired, looking slightly disturbed.

"Because today, you'll all be initiated into…  _the Order of the Sparrow_ ," Nikki replied, wiggling her fingers mystically.

"Do we  _have_  to?" Harrison whined.

"Yes," Max declared stubbornly. "This is something that I wanted you guys to experience the way we did at Camp Campbell… except Tabii. She's being initiated, too."

The kids groaned.

"Hey. Part of it is being nice so you can try and get the prize—"

"Prize?! There's a prize?" gasped David excitedly.

"Uh, you didn't let me finish."

"I  _want_  that prize!" yelled Nurf.

"Kids—"

"No, it's  _mine_!" Dolph snapped in Nurf's face.

"Shit. Well, it worked for us. Why wouldn't it work for them?" he asked Nikki.

"True. We'll give it a try. Just don't take it too far."

"Yeah, kids. There's a prize. None of what you specifically want, but it's the same thing  _we_  got as a prize as campers."

Nobody was listening.

"I'm gonna win!" declared Jaspar. The group dispersed before the counselors could do anything to stop them.

"Aw, shit," Max grumbled.

"What  _is_  the prize?" Tabii inquired.

"There's a bonfire, everyone gets a shitty sash, and one camper gets this staff." Max held it up. "It used to be a Native American thing that claimed to be Indian, but now it's actually Indian."

"Because Max is our… Indian chief," Nikki giggled. He blushed and shoved her gently, much more gently than he would've shoved anybody else.

"Aw…" Tabii cooed. "You two should just get married already! Seriously!"

"Shut up, Tabii!" they both said in unison.

Quartermaster had put up the law of the Order of the Sparrow outside the mess hall. All the campers read the list as Max and the other counselors walked up.

"So, we do all this and we win the prize?" Gwen asked.

"Well, if you kids would let me finish—"

"Max, you  _know_  how much I love nature!" David piped up. "And I'm the nicest camper here!"

"You all have until the end of the day to prove to me that you're worthy of being initiated. If you can't, then it's fine."

The kids quickly dispersed and dashed off in different directions. Max got a feeling down his spine about it.

"This is going to be  _great_ ," he grumbled.

"I think we should tell them what the prize is," Neil suggested.

"But then they won't do it!" Tabii pointed out. "It's the only way any of them will try to win the prizes."

For the rest of the day, the campers attempted to show the counselors that they could follow the law of the Order of the Sparrow. Nerris and Harrison almost drowned. Dolph chewed Neil's sandwich for him. Preston cleaned the entire campground. Ered and Space Kid dumped dirt back on it. Gwen tried kissing the platypus.

"That's it," groaned Max. "Everyone, stop!"

They obeyed and stared at their head counselor.

"Kids, I know you're all doing this because you want the prize. I was going to let you because I thought you wouldn't do it unless you didn't know what the fucking prize was. However, this is going too far."

"You're going to tell us what the prize is?!" Jaspar gasped.

"It's a bonfire and a sash. If you're accepted into the order, you'll go to the bonfire and receive a sash. One of you will receive this staff." He held it up. "It's not cigarettes, a Broadway deal, a trip to space, hover-boots, or whatever the fuck  _else_  you guys think it is."

All the campers immediately backed down, except David.

"What does the staff mean?" he asked.

"It means that you're the new head of the Order and it will  _your_  job to hand it down to the next generation."

"That's stupid!" Harrison yelled.

"I  _know_ it's stupid. You'll also get to design your own costumes like mine and the other counselors."

"Ooh," Preston breathed. "Nice."

"Can ve get started on zat?" asked Dolph.

"Go ahead."

* * *

Down at the bonfire spot, Max and Nikki arranged the logs while Neil and Tabii supervised the kids. Nikki held the bow and ceremonial arrow on her shoulder, prepared to light the fire when the kids got down there. And, of course, with Dolph and Preston working together to design and make the costumes, they looked  _fantastic_.

"You all look great!" Max complimented. "Now, here you all go." He handed each camper a sash and then Nikki fired the ceremonial arrow. It lit the fire with no problem at all.

"So, who gets the staff?" Jaspar asked excitedly.

"Give us a minute," Max sighed. He stood in front of the fire.

"Pipe down!" Nikki declared.

"Okay, kids. You've all done your damnedest to win the prize today. However, the camper we've chosen to carry the staff into the next generation has shown the qualities for it all summer. There were two campers eligible, but we chose based off a certain criteria that they refuse to break the rules, no matter how tempting it may be. So… say hello to the winner, David!"

David gasped and walked up, receiving the staff and jumping up and down excitedly. Max pulled out his guitar and strummed it.

_"There's a place I know that's tucked away,"_  he sung. Nikki, Tabii, and Neil joined in.

_"A place where you and I can stay._

_"Where we can go to laugh and play_

_"And have adventures every day."_ David and the other campers began singing, too.

_"I know it sounds hard to believe_

_"But guys and gals, it's true._

_"Camp Campbell is the place for me and you."_

Nikki smiled at Max and Gwen knew. She had an idea.

"Neil, remember how you said to come up with a plan?" she whispered.

"You got one?"

"Hell yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was lackluster and sappy, but I wanted to get to the next one, where things go off-the-wall crazy because the campers try to get Max and Nikki together.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	6. Operation:  Makki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil, Tabii, and the campers try to push Nikki and Max together.

It was late at night. Max had already finished his night check and had gone to bed. Once he was asleep, Neil and Tabii snuck out of the counselors' cabin and woke up the campers, bringing them into the mess hall. Tabii lit a few lanterns and put them on the tables so everyone could see.

"Okay," Neil told the campers. "Do you all know why we're here?" Nerris raised her hand.

"For a late-night run of Dungeons and Dragons?" she asked.

"No, Nerris, although that would be fun."

"NERD!" Nurf called.

"We're here because we're going to do a little match-making."

"Ooh," the campers breathed.

"Now, who here has noticed how Max and Nikki act around each other?" Everyone raised their hands except David.

"They're good friends!" he protested.

"No. Max likes Nikki. As in,  _like_  likes her. He told me that."

"But Nikki's only been here for a few weeks!" Harrison pointed out.

"He's liked her longer than that. He liked her when  _we_  were Campbell campers… fourteen years ago." The campers gasped. "Now, does anyone besides Gwen have any ideas on how to get them together?"

"Flowers and chocolate, to Nikki," suggested Jaspar.

"A puppy!" Harrison pulled a kitten out of his hat. "Or… a kitten."

"A true romantic would recite a poem," Nerris scoffed.

"Or a song!" Preston butted in.

"Max should get in super-good shape," Ered stated.

"Or the opposite," Gwen mused. "Terminal illness seems to bring people together in the movies."

"My mom got pregnant," Nurf added.

"We might need some female help," Tabii sighed. "Besides the ones here."

"You're not suggesting—" Neil gasped.

"I can have the backup here tomorrow. Keep Max and Nikki from noticing I'm gone and we'll meet in town tomorrow afternoon."

"How are we going to keep them from noticing the  _campers_  are gone?"

"Simple: we tell them we're taking the kids on a field trip. That way, we can borrow the bus."

"Good idea!" Gwen cheered.

"Everyone got it?" Neil asked the campers. Everyone nodded. "Good! Operation Makki is a go!"

"Makki?" Space Kid inquired, tilting his head.

"Max and Nikki."

"I like Maxxi," Nerris suggested.

"Nax," Jaspar argued.

"We're going with Makki," Neil declared.

* * *

The next day, Neil met with Tabii at the location. She had Rosemary, Daisy, and Lily—three of the Flower Scouts—with her. He had brought David, Jaspar, and Gwen, since the other campers insisted on staying behind to avoid suspicion.

"So, what's the plan?" David asked Rosemary.

"We sent messages to Nikki and Max to meet us at The Only Bar," she explained. "We're going to seat them at different tables and make sure they don't see each other."

"How is  _that_  going to get them together?" Gwen asked as they entered the restaurant. The kids and counselors sat at a booth and watched as Max and Nikki were ushered in and seated at different tables.

"We asked a beautiful woman to meet with Max so that Nikki will notice, get mad jelly, and demand he go out with her instead!"

"Wait, what?" Tabii yelped.

"Yeah, who did you ask?" Neil wondered.

"We asked Miss Sasha," Lily replied. Neil and Tabii looked at each other in a panic.

"Girls, you  _do_  know Sasha is totally obsessed with Max, right?" Tabii told them cautiously. The Flower Scouts suddenly looked very nervous.

"Maybe we should've asked Miss Erin," Daisy sighed, pulling out her phone. "I'll cancel Miss Sasha."

"It's too late!" Rosemary groaned. The Garden Mother of Troop 789 had entered the building, dressed up and looking straight at Max.

"Hey, Max," she purred, leaning on the table seductively. He looked up from his menu and looked very worried.

"Sasha?"

"The one and only!" She stuck out her hip. "See something you like?"

"Um… no." She sat down across from him.

"Well,  _I_  do."

"We have another problem," Jaspar whispered to Neil. "Nikki hasn't looked up from her menu."

"What?" Neil looked at his stepsister and groaned. "Of  _course_  she's more concerned with food."

"Sasha, what the fuck are you doing here?" Max asked.

"I'm here to go on a date with you."

"But I didn't ask you out."

"That doesn't matter!" She looked angry. "You and I are a  _perfect_  couple. Forget about Nikki and focus on me."

Nikki finished ordering her food and her menu was taken away. That was when she looked around the restaurant and noticed Max and Sasha. To her shock, Sasha pulled Max into a kiss. She gasped as a pain filled her chest, then she felt  _angry_. Angry and betrayed.

" _Sasha?!_ " she snapped, getting up and marching over. Max shoved the Flower Scout leader off him at the sound of Nikki's voice.

"Nik!" he yelped. "It's not what it looks like!"

"Oh,  _yes it is_!" Sasha growled, forcing herself onto Max's lap. "Max and I are a thing! Get the fuck out, Nikki!"

"No, we're not!" Max shoved Sasha off him.

"Oh, shit," Neil whispered fearfully.

"This is  _your_ fault!" Sasha yelled at Nikki. She picked up a fork. "He'd be  _mine_  if it weren't for  _you_! Get out of his life,  _skank_!" She threw the fork. Nikki ducked and it flew towards a waitress, who deflected it with her tray.

The fork landed in Tabii's eye.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed in pain. Neil grabbed some napkins and pressed them to her eye.

"Shit!"

Nikki's eyes felt hot. She could feel them burning with tears and ran out of The Only Bar.

"Nikki, wait!" Max shot a glare at Neil and his campers. "We're discussing this later."

"We're dead," Gwen groaned.

Outside, Nikki leaned against the wall in the alley, letting the tears fall.

"Nik!" she heard Max say behind her. She turned to face him, feeling angry and betrayed again.

"Go back inside, Max!" she snapped. "I saw you kissing Sasha! Obviously, the whole disgust thing was an act! Go and sleep with her! Get Quartersister!"

"Okay, first of all, I  _hate_  Sasha. She's a mean, manipulative bitch who has been  _stalking me_  since the Camporee. Secondly,  _she_  kissed  _me_! I'm pretty sure that was fucking sexual assault!"

"Sure, whatever! You're just like all the other guys! All you want is a girl to sleep with! You don't care who it is!"

"Nikki, the only girl on Lake Lilac I want to fuck is  _you_!" He covered his mouth as that gem slipped out. Nikki stared.

"What did you say?" She'd stopped crying, so Max sighed.

"I said, the only girl on Lake Lilac I want to fuck is you." He shook his head. "No, that's not it. Nikki, I've been in love with you since we were ten. When you showed up at camp a few weeks ago, all those old feelings came back, along with some new ones. I wanted to kiss you and fuck you in the backseat of the Camp-Mobile at the same time, and after that first night, I wanted to just have you by me all the time. You make me feel safe, Nikki, something that's hard to do. So… yeah. I love you. I get if you hate me, but just know that Sasha means  _nothing_  to me."

"Max, you idiot. I only got mad because I love you, too. Also, I wouldn't have  _objected_  to doing that in the backseat. Or being by you all the time. I'm glad I make you feel safe, and I'm glad Sasha means nothing to you."

Max reached for her hand hesitantly. She closed the gap and they kissed for the first time.

"Aw!" the Flower Scouts and Campbell campers cooed. An ambulance pulled up behind them along with a cop car. Max and Nikki noticed and pulled apart.

"What happened in there?" he asked David.

"Tabii took a fork to the eye and Sasha trashed the whole restaurant," Gwen reported.

" _I will sue!_ " Sasha screamed at the cop as he forced her into the car. Tabii was brought into the ambulance, Neil right beside her.

"Wait," Nikki realized. "Who's with the other campers?"

"Quartermaster," Jaspar replied.

"That's… not good. Kids, get in the Camp-Mobile. Max, I'll go to the hospital and make sure Tabii is taken care of."

"Okay. Be careful." He kissed her on the cheek and herded the six campers to the car. "We'll go to the Flower Scout camp first and let Erin know what happened."

* * *

Erin walked out of her sleeping quarters as the Camp-Mobile pulled in. Daisy, Lily, and Rosemary got out and Max put it in park.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Sasha was arrested for property damage," Max sighed as he approached Erin. "Your campers were apparently trying to set me up with her."

"No we weren't!" Lily protested. "We were trying to set you up with Miss Nikki! Miss Sasha was supposed to make her jealous!" Max knelt in front of the three so they were at eye-level.

"Well, little tip for next time: make sure your decoy isn't a deranged stalker. You guys got lucky that Nikki listens to reason. Otherwise, I might not have been able to drive you home." He stood back up and faced Erin. "Also, Tabii took a fork to the eye because of Sasha."

"We'll pay for the hospital bill," Erin stated quickly. "Girls, go to bed."

"I've got to get my campers back and work out their punishment. We'll be in touch."

Rosemary watched the Camp-Mobile pull out and realized…

_Camp Campbell is the most insane, deranged, coolest camp on Lake Lilac._

* * *

"I can't believe you kids did this," Max groaned as he drove. "What were you thinking?"

"We thought you'd be happy with Nikki," Gwen replied in a tiny voice.

"You can't force this shit. Nothing good comes of it."

"It was Neil's idea," Jaspar spoke up.

"Of  _course_  it was."

"What's our punishment?" David inquired.

"No dessert and you're on cleaning duty for a week.  _And_  you have to help Tabii while she's healing."

"Yes, sir," they grumbled.

They arrived at camp and Max sent the troublemakers off to bed. He himself went into the camp office and started filling out an injury form for Tabii. It didn't take long and he found himself thinking over the events of the evening.

_Tap, tap._

He glanced at the window and saw Nikki waving. Glad for her return, he got up and went outside to meet her.

"Hey. What happened at the hospital?"

"They said they couldn't save the eye, but she'll live. She should be back in two days. Neil volunteered to stay with her."

"Good. Erin said the Flower Scouts would pay the hospital bill."

"Good."

Awkward silence.

"You… wanna go for a walk?" he asked.

"Sure." They headed across camp and wound up on the dock, where they sat looking at the lake in the starlight.

"Nikki, a lot of shit happened tonight," Max sighed.

"Yeah. It was a horror show."

"I mean, two good things happened, but there was a lot of bad."

"Wait,  _two_?"

"Sasha got arrested and we told each other how we felt."

"Oh, yeah!" They sat for a moment. "Where do we go from here?"

"We carry on as normal, I guess. Maybe we'll be a little more affectionate, but this doesn't really change anything, does it?"

"I don't know. I've never dated a guy that I was friends with first."

"We can take it slow if you want." Nikki thought it over for a second.

"Yeah, maybe."

She leaned over so that her head was on Max's shoulder. He raised his eyebrows but put an arm around her anyway.

"You know, this might be the best adventure we've had yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo!
> 
> Max and Nikki are together, Tabii lost an eye, and one of the Flower Scouts admires Camp Campbell!
> 
> Yeah, that's basically it. Oh, and if you're wondering why there's so many chapters in one day, it's because this was originally published on Fanfiction. That's why there's six chapters at once.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	7. Flood Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hike goes awry when the unexpected happens and causes Max to panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for the feels.

"This  _sucks_."

David looked up at Gwen from where he was scrubbing the floor.

"We got Max and Nikki together, but we're being punished for that!"

"To be fair, we  _did_  almost get Max assaulted by his stalker and caused Tabii to lose her eye," Jaspar pointed out. "There's no way we shouldn't be punished for that."

"It was  _Sasha's_ fault, not ours! And the Flower Scouts were the ones who called her!"

"Guys, we have work to do!" David piped up. "Could you please help me out?"

"Fine." Gwen crouched and started helping David scrub the floor.

"Morning, guys," Max greeted them, a smile on his face.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Gwen asked.

"Nah. I'm just in a good mood."

The other campers had entered the mess hall and heard that. They all looked at each other worriedly, not knowing what had transpired the night before. Max headed out, ready to set up the day's activities while the campers ate breakfast.

"How'd it go?" Nerris asked Gwen, crouching near her.

"Well, he and Nikki got together, I think, and one of the Garden Mothers from the Flower Scouts got arrested."

"What'd she do?" Preston inquired, tilting his head.

"Kissed Max and destroyed a restaurant."

"Ooh! A love triangle!"

"It's not a love triangle if there's one-sided attraction! If anything, Sasha is the deranged stalker out to ruin their relationship."

"Yeah," agreed Jaspar. "You've gotta admit, Max being happy is a lot better than him being cynical all the time!"

"I couldn't agree more, Jaspar!" David piped up. "Well, the floor's done! Time to go find out when Tabii's coming back so we can help her out!" He stood up and headed out of the mess hall.

He found Nikki looking over some information on a clipboard outside. He tugged at her shorts and she looked down at him.

"Yes, David?" she asked.

"When is Tabii coming back?"

"She'll be back the day after tomorrow. So, how much trouble are you kids in?"

"No dessert for a week, we've got extra chores, and we have to help Tabii while she's healing."

"That's fair. Though, you should've seen some of the stuff me and Max got up to when we were campers. We almost destroyed the place on more than one occasion."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I was always looking for an adventure, but Max was more the scheming type." She let out a sigh. "Ah, memories…"

"So, what are we doing today?"

"Well, Max had the idea that we should try to do some stuff that other summer camps offer—stuff like archery and hiking. That's what we're doing today."

"Sounds fun!"

"It will be!"

"Hey, Nik!" Max greeted her, walking up. "David, is the floor done?"

"Yes, sir!" David gave him the Camp Campbell salute.

"Good. Tomorrow, you're in charge of cleaning the kitchen." He turned to Nikki. "You ready for today?"

"Hell yes."

"Great. Well, I'm going to go grab the cooler. I'll see you in a bit." He kissed her on the cheek and headed into the mess hall.

"You guys are a really good couple!" David complimented.

"Aw, thanks, David." Nikki ruffled his hair. "That's sweet of you to say."

* * *

Archery went as well as everyone expected, except Max ensured nobody got hit with arrows. After that, he led the campers out on one of the trails, Nikki taking up the rear to ensure nobody was following them and so no kid got lost.

"Isn't it time for lunch?" Gwen whispered to Jaspar.

"That's what the cooler's for!" David chirped. "Max said we're going to hike out to a picnic spot and eat there."

"Lame!" Nurf scoffed, kicking at a pebble.

"He also said that it was just because we needed the exercise."

"Hey, we're almost there!" Max called back to the campers.

It  _was_  a beautiful spot. It was near the river that fed into Lake Lilac, with plenty of grass and trees for the kids to sit on. Max set down the cooler.

"Okay, kids. Everyone gets a sandwich and a bag of chips with a bottle of water. It's hot, so stay hydrated."

Nikki and Max passed out lunch and everyone sat around, enjoying themselves. Once the food was gone, the kids decided to play in the river and climb the trees. As long as they were safe, they could do what they wanted.

"This is probably the most peaceful day we've had in a while," Jaspar commented to Gwen as they sat on a branch.

"Yeah," she agreed. "We all just… got to have fun and hang out. Not really much in the way of activities, but at least we had fun." She looked down into the clearing below and saw Max and Nikki together. Not making out or anything, but just kinda… sitting there, cuddling. It made the shipper in her swell with pride that matchmaking had ended well.

Suddenly, a loud  _crack_  broke over the forest as clouds swarmed in. Max stood up.

"All right! We're heading back to camp!" he called. "Everyone hurry up!"

Gwen and Jaspar scrambled down from the tree as everyone else grabbed their stuff. The rain came down suddenly, as if someone had turned a faucet on full-blast. Very quickly the ground became muddy and slippery. David, who had been the closest to the river, slipped on the mud and fell down the bank into the water below.

Now, when you envision a river that feeds into a lake, you probably see something calm and not very deep.  _But this is fucking Lake Lilac!_  Nothing is that calm or serene. The Lavender River was eight feet deep in the middle and during heavy rains, it tended to swell past its normal banks and became difficult to navigate for even good swimmers.

And David wasn't a good swimmer.

Quickly, the small redhead disappeared below the water. Nikki let out a scream of panic as she saw it and Max handed her the cooler.

"Get everyone else back to camp! I'm going after David!"

"Max!"

The black-haired counselor had already hung his backpack on a tree and was in the river, swimming towards where the current would've swept David. Nikki wanted to wait for him, but she knew the other campers had to come first. Besides, Max had his phone in his backpack (which was waterproof, luckily), so he could call her if there was service.

"Let's go, kids!" she instructed.

"What about David and Max?" Jaspar asked.

"They'll meet us back at camp! Let's move before the trail floods!" She glanced back towards Max then herded the kids back down the trail.

* * *

Max was frantic. He couldn't see David anywhere. He'd dove in without much of a plan, but he knew David should've been around there somewhere. The head counselor took a breath and dove underwater. His eyes scanned the blurry underwater environment until something caught his eye.

_There! Some red! And yellow!_

He reached and gripped David's shirt, holding the camper to him as his head broke through the surface. Pain shot through his arm; he'd cut it on a rock down there and it was bleeding. David had a bleeding wound on his temple; he'd evidently hit his head on a rock when he'd been swept under the water. Quickly, Max made it to shore and rushed back towards where they'd started, clutching the unconscious boy to his chest.

"Don't you  _dare_  fucking die on me, Davey," he muttered, his feet pounding the ground.

When they reached the clearing, Max set David down and pulled the first-aid kit out of his backpack. He cleaned the wound and bandaged it before putting on his dry hoodie on the freezing child, along with a poncho to keep him dry. Max then put on his own poncho and started running towards camp along the semi-flooded trail, the water up to his ankles. David was in his arms.

"M-Max?" David whimpered as he came to.

"Hang on, buddy. We're on our way back to camp and you'll be fine." David nodded weakly and lost consciousness again. Max could feel himself panicking but shook his head, determined not to lose a camper today.

Especially not David.

* * *

"…his parents."

David opened his eyes. He was in the camp infirmary. Why? What happened? Whose parents was Nikki talking about.

"I told you, there was one phone number. I called it ten times and nobody answered. I left a voicemail and asked them to call me back as soon as they could. He might have to go to the hospital if he doesn't wake up soon."

_Wait, Max?_

A throbbing pain shot through David's head. He reached up and touched bandages.

_What… happened?_

"Max?" he whimpered again. The curtain around his bed opened and there was his counselor, looking relieved. He had bandages around his forearm.

"Hey, David," he said in a gentle tone. "How you feeling?"

"Max, what happened?"

"You fell in the river and hit your head. I managed to pull you out and get you back to camp."

"What about your arm?" Max glanced at his bandages as if he was surprised they were there.

"Eh. Cut my arm trying to get you out. It's not a big deal."

"When you're bleeding like a seal on  _Shark Week_ , it's a big deal," Nikki snorted, entering the space.

"It was worth it," Max retorted. "David's safe now and that's all that matters."

"I'm sorry!" David blurted. Max looked at him in surprise.

"What are you sorry for?"

"F-for falling in the river… and getting hurt… and making  _you_  get hurt…"

"David, it wasn't your fault," Nikki soothed, grabbing his hand gently. "That bank was really slippery. Anybody would've fallen in. And you can't control the river."

"Still, I scared everybody."

Suddenly, Max's phone went off.

"I've gotta take this," he sighed, exiting the curtained area. Nikki gave David's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Nikki, I'm hot," David mumbled.

"You're running a fever. That's good—it means your body is trying to warm itself back up after being in the water."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"He's conscious," they heard Max say to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "He woke up a few minutes ago." Silence for a second. "I  _called_  because he's  _your_  damn kid and you should care if he gets hurt!" More silence. "It wasn't his fucking fault. The rain popped up and he fell! You can't prevent that shit!" Even more silence. "No, fuck  _you_ , sir. And how about you get with the program and start giving a shit about your kid?!" The last stretch of silence. "Good fucking day to you too, sir."

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of something metal hitting the wall.

"Fucking  _asshole_!" Max swore. David cringed and clung closer to Nikki worriedly before Max re-entered the space.

"Sorry," he sighed. "David, that was your dad. He said he's not coming up here."

"Oh. Sorry for the trouble."

"It's no trouble, David. It was an accident. And again, it  _wasn't your fault_."

"If anything, we're sorry this happened to you," Nikki added. "You're a good kid, David, and you don't deserve this."

David swallowed back his tears and smiled.

* * *

"Okay, in all seriousness, what did his dad say?"

They'd left David under the watch of Neil, who had returned to the camp shortly after David had been admitted to the infirmary. The other campers were doing rainy-day activities in the mess hall, so Max and Nikki were in the camp office/Max's sleeping space.

"He got pissed at me for calling so many times and demanded to know why I called him. Started blaming David for the accident and said that the 'little bastard deserved it for being such a pussy'. And that I should go fuck myself. You heard the rest."

"How could  _anyone_  treat their kid that way?"

"It's how mine treated me."

Nikki stared at her boyfriend and wrapped him in a hug.

"I love you, you know that?" she whispered in a pained voice.

"I love you, too."

"I'm scared for him, Max."

"Me, too, but there's nothing we can do."

They stood in silence for a moment before the door opened. Neil walked into the office.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?" he asked.

"No," Max sighed.

"David fell asleep. He doesn't have a concussion, luckily, so it's fine. What exactly happened out there?"

"He fell in the river during the storm and hit his head. I pulled him out before he could drown."

"Well, at least he's alive and healing. Oh, and the campers wanted to know when they could visit him."

"They can go in tomorrow, when he wakes up. On an unrelated note, we need a new wastebasket in the infirmary."

"I noticed it was missing. What the hell happened?"

"I kicked into a wall and dented it beyond repair."

"Dammit, Max! We barely have enough money to keep this place standing!"

"I know. That's why I'm paying for it." Neil shook his head.

* * *

"David!"

The redheaded boy looked up from the nature guidebook he'd borrowed from Nikki to see Gwen and Jaspar, along with his other fellow campers.

"Are you feeling okay?" Gwen asked.

"Much better," David replied. "Max said I can leave the infirmary tomorrow if nothing happens."

"We made you stuff," Jaspar added. He handed David a bracelet made from green and yellow threads—a friendship bracelet.

Gwen had made him a necklace with his name on it. Dolph, Nurf, and Ered made cards. Harrison performed a magic trick, just for him. Nerris offered him a 'Stone of Healing' in the form of a pretty rose-quartz stone. Preston gave him a big hug and assured him everything was going to be fine. Space Kid handed him a book on the stars that he'd brought to camp.

"Thanks, guys," David sighed.

"Get better soon, okay?" Ered encouraged.

"Camp wouldn't be the same without you," Space Kid added.

David felt happy that so many people cared, but worried at the same time.

_Why was Max so angry at Dad?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ANGST. IT NEEDED TO HAPPEN IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE DAD!MAX.
> 
> On a side note, the thing about hiking a flooded trail? That's based off an experience I had while hiking with my family. A storm came up at the beginning of a three-mile hike back to the car and we were up to our ankles in water by the time we were a mile in. By the time we actually got to the car, we were soaked to our skins. I had to throw away my sneakers and my dad dropped his phone in a puddle. The phone itself was fine, but the camera broke.
> 
> Oh, well.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	8. The Vampire of Lake Lilac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen suspects a vampire is targeting Nikki after seeing a strange mark on the counselor's neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reverse Dadvid was honestly not something I intended to be popular, but here we are. This is my most popular story for Camp Camp, so here we go with another chapter.

"…and then… he could hear the  _drip… drip… drip…_  of the monster's drool. He curled up in a ball, hoping to make himself as small as possible," Neil said creepily. "That's when it turned the corner and found him—his failing report card!" He cackled evilly.

"Note: never let Neil tell stories on campfire night," Max sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, it was a scary nightmare!"

"Because you're a fucking nerd."

"Shut up!"

"I've got one!" Tabii spoke up. She'd returned from the hospital a few days earlier and now had a black eyepatch over her missing eye. "Once, there was this girl who had horrible friends—"

"Was it you?" Max asked.

"Yep. Sasha's a nightmare."

"Aren't you scared of anything?" David asked Max.

"Nah, kid. I'm not. Real life is the scariest thing out there."

"He's not wrong," Nikki agreed, leaning back and stretching. The collar of her shirt slipped down and revealed a red mark on her neck—a red, teeth-shaped mark. Gwen saw it and internally freaked out.

"Well, I think we've all had enough scary stuff for one night," Max said sarcastically. "Everyone go to bed. We're focusing on Extreme Sports Camp tomorrow and everyone needs to be well-rested."

They all headed off to their tents. Gwen followed Jaspar and David into theirs and closed the flaps behind her.

"What gives, Gwen?" Jaspar inquired.

"I saw a bite mark on Nikki's neck earlier!" she hissed.

"A bite mark?"

"Did you hit your head?" David asked, rubbing the spot where he still had a small bandage.

"No! I  _saw it_! There was the indentation of teeth! She's been bitten by a vampire!"

"As if Max would let that happen!"

"Besides," added Jaspar, "vampires aren't real. They're a fictional construct of the overactive imaginations of ancient cultures that has persisted to the modern day!"

"Oh, yeah? Then how do  _you_  explain the mark on Nikki's neck?"

"You imagined it in the firelight."

"I'll  _prove it_ , then!" She exited their tent.

"Gwen, what the fuck were you doing in David and Jaspar's tent?" they heard Max ask her.

"Nothing! I'm going to bed!"

"You'd better!"

Gwen headed into her tent and dug under her cot for her vampire romance novels she'd brought to camp.

"Now… how to spot if somebody's been bitten…"

* * *

"Morning, Gwen!"

David entered his female friend's tent and found her furiously writing.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Researching how to recognize the victim of a vampire bite! According to the books I found, a victim will be lethargic, irritable, have chronic pain in the stomach and head, and be paler than usual! Oh, and they'll want more things that are meaty and sweet, like blood. And they'll complain about feeling like they have less blood. Having less blood as a result of the bites will lead to fainting spells.

"But Nikki hasn't been like that!" Jaspar pointed out, coming in. "She's been the same as usual!"

"Yeah, because that was the  _first bite_. A  _true_  victim will start showing symptoms after the  _second_  bite. They'll become a full vampire when they're bitten a third time."

"Okay, sure, but let's get breakfast so you can do your 'observations'."

The trio headed to the mess hall, where they received their breakfast and sat down in their normal spots. Gwen glanced around and noticed Max was eating with just Neil and Tabii. Nikki was missing.

"Where's Nikki?" she whispered to her friends.

"I don't know," Jaspar replied. "It's weird she's not here, though." The door opened and Nikki walked in. She seemed more… sluggish this morning.

"Ugh…" she groaned, sitting down at the counselors' table and leaning on Max's shoulder.

"Drained?" he asked, putting an arm around her.

"Yep. I went to bed early but I'm  _exhausted_."

"First symptom!" Gwen whispered. Nikki's shirt collar had shifted again, revealing the mark. "And look!"

David looked over and his eyes widened. He believed Gwen now!

"If you don't wanna help out today, you don't have to," Max offered gently.

"No, it's Ered's day! And she's the coolest!"

"Nikki, you're not—"

"I  _said_  I'm doing it, Max!" she snapped in a tone more threatening than the campers had ever heard her speak in.

"Fine, but you're going to eat first."

"Meatloaf with extra chocolate sauce, please."

"You got it."

David and Gwen looked at each other worriedly, while Jaspar was starting to feel like maybe there was something to Gwen's theory. He made a note to get some garlic from the kitchen before bed that night.

"We  _have_  to protect Nikki from a third bite!" Gwen hissed. "I don't want a vampire counselor!"

"Neither do I!" David agreed. They watched Max bring Nikki the meatloaf-with-chocolate-sauce she'd requested and the female counselor downed it in an instant. After that, the counselors left, presumably to set up for the day's activities.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nerris inquired.

"We're talking about the fact that a vampire is targeting Nikki to be his undead bride!" Gwen explained frantically. "And  _right_  when she's gotten with Max, too! We're going to watch for today and see if she displays any more symptoms."

"Like what?" Harrison asked, looking a little worried.

"Okay, so she's already lethargic and craving things that are meaty and sweet at the same time."

"She looked a little pale this morning," Dolph piped up.

"That's another one. She was also kinda snippy and irritable earlier. We just need to watch out for stomach and head pain, along with her complaining about a lack of blood!"

"Yeah!" Nurf agreed. "We'll keep her safe!"

"Why aren't we telling Max?" Space Kid questioned.

"Because Max wouldn't believe us until he lost his girlfriend to the vampire! We're trying to  _prevent_  that so that they can have a happy relationship!"

"You've got our help!" Preston declared in a dramatic fashion. "We will  _not_  let the best counselors be ruined!"

They all headed outside once they were down with breakfast and found the Extreme Sports Camp setup ready to go. Nikki  _was_  looking a little pale standing next to Max, though that might have been his natural skin-tone washing her out. Neil was at the top of the half-pipe with a leveling tool, making sure it was stable enough for ten campers to go on and not fall for at  _least_  an hour.

"Okay!" he called. "It's ready to go!"

"Great! You being a nerd is actually  _useful_  sometimes!" Neil narrowed his eyes at Max and clambered down the nearby ladder.

"Who wants to go first?" Tabii asked. Of course Ered raised her hand.

"I will."

She got up to the top wearing the helmet Neil  _insisted_  she wear and performed a couple of tricks on her skateboard. Other kids tried and failed, but Gwen was more concerned with trying to keep an eye on Nikki. She gasped when her counselor clutched her stomach.

"Max…" the green-haired girl whimpered. He turned to look at her and her eyes rolled back into her head before she fell forward. Luckily, Max had good reflexes and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Nikki!" he yelped, turning her over.

"I'll get something!" Neil called, running for the counselors' cabin. Max laid Nikki on the ground, the campers gathering around and muttering to themselves.

" _I don't believe it,_ " Jaspar whispered to Gwen. " _She's… she's been bitten by a vampire!_ "

" _I told you!_ "

Neil returned with a small pack of Twizzlers, which Max opened and waved under Nikki's nose. She groaned as she came to.

"Thanks, guys," she sighed.

"How are you feeling?" Dolph inquired cautiously.

"Like all the blood vanished from my body. My head hurts."

"That's it," Max sighed. "You're not staying out here. You're going into the cabin and resting."

"I'm  _fine_ , Max!"

"You just  _fainted_. You're not fucking fine." He picked her up, bridal-style, and carried her back to the counselors' cabin. Neil and Tabii went to go put the helmets away.

"Ugh! So romantic!" Preston gushed.

"It is, but the  _reason_  isn't!" Gwen snapped. "I noticed the bite last night before bed, when Nikki was acting fine. That means that she got bitten after she went to bed. We  _have_  to protect her from getting bitten again tonight, or she'll be a vampire by morning!"

"But vat can we do?" Dolph worried.

"Relax.  _I_  have an idea," Jaspar chuckled.

* * *

Normally in the afternoons, the campers would go about their respective camps, almost completely ignoring each other. However, today they had the singular goal of protecting their counselor from a vampire. That afternoon, they all went about preparing for their stakeout that night. Nerris, Dolph, and Harrison made a couple of wooden crucifixes to hide in the counselors' cabin. Space Kid, Ered, and Nurf boiled some garlic to pour in front of the doors and windows. Jaspar, David, Gwen, and Preston were preparing to stand guard over Nikki all night by drinking coffee and eating candy.

"Good luck," Nerris whispered to Gwen, handing her one of the crucifixes. "To protect yourself."

"Thanks, Nerris." Gwen and the boys crept into the cabin and hid around the room. Nikki, Neil, and Tabii were already asleep, so there was no danger of them being caught (except  _maybe_  by Max). They sat in wait, hoping that their precautions would work.

" _Jesus Christ, what's that smell?_ " they heard a voice whisper as the cabin door opened. Gwen clutched her crucifix tightly.

_The garlic failed. And he's walking right by all the crucifixes!_

In the dim light, she could see a figure bending over Nikki's sleeping form. Her breathing hitched and she silently signaled them to attack. David crept out from his hiding spot, as did Jasper. The redhead went for the person's legs while the blonde jumped onto their back.

"What the fuck?!" the person—obviously a man—yelled, waking up Neil and Tabii. Preston tackled the guy around the midsection and Gwen stood as a human shield between the man and Nikki, who was also woken up by the commotion. Tabii flicked on the lights and David realized he was clinging to Max's legs.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Neil asked, looking annoyed at being awoken.

"A vampire's after Nikki!" Gwen explained. "We're trying to protect her!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Max groaned. "The three of you, get off me!"

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Nikki agreed as Max was released from his captors.

"I'm  _talking_  about the symptoms of a second bite! Lethargy, irritability, chronic stomach and head pain, blood loss, fainting, and being paler than usual! And craving meat and sweets!"

"What makes you think she's been bitten?" Tabii inquired.

"There's a mark on her neck! A bite shaped like teeth!" Max and Nikki looked at each other and blushed.

"Uh, Gwen, I did that," Max confessed.

" _You're_  the vampire?!" David gasped in horror, backing away.

"What—no! I'm not a vampire! They're h—"

"Love bites!" Nikki cut him off. "S-sometimes, when adults really like each other, they'll-they'll bite each other to show their affection!"

As if to prove it, Max tugged on his own collar to reveal a matching bite.

"Oh," Gwen murmured, staring at the floor. Her head snapped back up. "But… what about the symptoms?!"

"That's a monthly woman thing," Tabii scoffed. "You'll go through it too, when you're older. Nikki just gets it worse than most women."

"Yeah, I'm not turning into a vampire, Gwen," Nikki laughed. "I feel a little better now."

"Wait, so if Max isn't a vampire, why was he sneaking in here in the dark and leaning over Nikki?" Preston inquired.

"Why  _were_  you doing that?" Nikki agreed, looking at her co-counselor.

"I was trying to be randomly romantic and kiss you good night," he mumbled. Nikki gave him a smile and got up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Better?" she asked.

"Better."

"Oh my God, this is adorable!" Preston squealed.

"Okay, you guys," Max sighed. "Time for bed."

* * *

"I'm glad Nikki wasn't turning into a vampire."

"Yeah," David agreed with Gwen at breakfast. "I'm  _also_  glad that Max  _wasn't_  the vampire responsible."

"How much trouble do you think we're in?" Jaspar sighed to his friends.

"For attacking a counselor and breaking curfew?" Gwen affirmed. "I'd say we're looking at a solid two weeks of extra chores, at  _least_. And right after we got done with the last week, too."

"You're damn right you've got chores," Max told them, arms crossed.

"We're sorry," David told his favorite counselor. "We  _really_  thought there was a vampire."

"Well, there  _wasn't._  Besides, there aren't any vampires around Lake Lilac. It's werewolves and fish men you have to watch out for."

" _What?!_ "

"Max, don't scare them!" Nikki grumbled, walking up beside him. "There aren't any werewolves in this area, either! It's just the fish men."

" _What?!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for chapter eight!
> 
> Yes, Max and Nikki gave each other love bites and Gwen thought Nikki was turning into a vampire. I thought it'd be a cute idea and ran with it.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	9. Strange New Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The regular Max, Neil, Nikki, and David find their way to Counselor Max's Camp Campbell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little tip for my invested readers: comments make me update faster because I feel like my work is appreciated. Even saying you liked the chapter is enough.
> 
> That being said, here goes chapter nine.
> 
> Little warning: this contains a full-on crossover with the regular universe. Max, Nikki, David, and Neil find their way to the Camp Campbell I created. Max is not happy.
> 
> Just for clarification: C. Max is Counselor Max, AKA Grown-up Max. The same goes for everyone except little David, who gets C. David, the C standing for camper.

"Where the hell are we?"

Max's voice made David sigh in frustration.

He'd led Max and his two friends on a nature hike in the woods, where they'd gotten more than a little lost. Not to mention the bright flash of light that had blinded them for a second. He'd even heard a voice say, 'go to the universe I created because I decreed it.' But he'd chalked that up to stress. After all, he knew the woods well and he was sure they were on their way back to Camp Campbell.

"I'm sure we're almost back to camp!" he assured his campers.

"I'm not so sure about that," Neil admitted nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Everything looks… better-maintained."

"Did we wander into the Flower Scout camp by accident?" Nikki asked. "I hope not."

"Who's out there?" asked a voice, familiar to all four of them.

"Jaspar?" the kids whispered.

"Jaspar," David murmured.

As if on cue, Jaspar walked out of the bushes, wearing his normal clothes… save for the fact that he was wearing normal sneakers. David felt frozen. He couldn't move or talk.

Was God punishing him?"

"Who are you guys?" Jaspar asked, tilting his head.

"Cut the shit, Jaspar—you know who we are," Max snapped.

"Um… no, I don't. You folks must be lost. Come back to camp with me and I'm sure the counselors will figure something out." He walked back into the bushes and the four followed him.

Well, the kids  _started_  to, but they ended up having to push David forward. He was still frozen with fear and guilt.

"Hey! I found some people in the woods!" Jaspar called.

"Oh, really?" they heard a girl say. "Cool. They're not fish men or axe murderers, are they?"

"Nope! At least, I don't think so."

The girl came into view. She looked like a ten-year-old version of Gwen, which unnerved the kids and David. She tilted her head.

"Why do they look like David and the counselors?" she asked.

"I don't know," Jaspar replied with a shrug. "I'm taking them to the counselors."

"Well, good luck with that." The girl ran off towards where they could see their fellow campers as themselves and joined whatever they were doing. Jaspar smiled.

"That was Gwen," he explained. "She and Davey are my best friends at Camp Campbell. She's here for Psych Camp, which I'm pretty sure is a joke."

"Whatever," Max muttered. They came to the counselors' cabin (which looked a little bigger than they remembered) and Jaspar walked by it to another building nearby.

"This is the camp office. It's also where our head counselor sleeps since there's not enough space in the counselors' cabin for all four of them." He opened the door.

"Hey, Jaspar," a voice said. Max stared at the man before them and rubbed his eyes.

It was an  _older version of him_!

"Hey, Max," Jaspar greeted the man before turning to his companions. "This is our head counselor, Max!" C. Max looked at the campers (and counselor) before him.

"Nice to meet you all," he stated. "Welcome to Camp Campbell, also known as Hell on Earth."

"I can't believe this," whispered Neil to Max. "It's… an adult you!"

"I know, idiot! And I actually look really cool!"

"Where you guys from?" C. Max asked.

"I know this is going to sound  _crazy_ ," Max sighed. "But we're from Camp Campbell—a different one."

"I kinda figured that, considering you look like the ten-year-old version of me. And that's a grown-up version of David with the kid versions of Nikki and Neil."

"The adult me's here, too?" gasped Nikki.

"She's in the mess hall, helping Tabii get ready for lunch. I've got to go make sure the kids aren't murdering Neil." He waved as he headed outside and Jaspar went with him.

"Tabii's here?" Neil whimpered, shaking.

"Let's go meet the adult Nikki before jumping to conclusions," Max sighed. "You coming, David?"

"I'm going to stay here," David mumbled, sitting down on the bed. Max could see Mr. Honey Nuts's leg sticking out from under the pillow, and he knew that what Jaspar said about him being head counselor was true.

He, Nikki, and Neil headed into the mess hall, where they could see a little version of David with a bandage on his temple. He was scrubbing one of the benches clean of dirt.

"Hey," Max greeted the kid. C. David looked up and smiled.

"Hi! You must be new campers! I'm David!" He stuck out his hand for a handshake and Nikki took it.

"What happened to your head?" Neil asked worriedly.

"I fell in the river about a week ago. Max fished me out, but I still hit my head on a rock underwater." He rubbed the spot as if it was still sore.

"But he's okay now," said a woman's voice. A woman with green hair—obviously the adult version of Nikki—was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She wore the same counselors' uniform as C. Max.

"It's older me," Nikki whispered in awe. "I look  _so cool_!"

"I finished the benches, Nikki!" C. David chirped, running up to her. She ruffled his hair.

"You've still got a week and a half to go until your punishment's worked off, Davey, but if you keep up the good work, I'll let you go early."

"Okay!"

"How about you go tell Max and Neil that lunch is ready so the other campers can eat?" C. David nodded and ran outside. She turned her attention to the 'new campers'.

"Hey!" Nikki greeted her older self. "I'm the kid version of you!"

"I kinda figured that, based on the hair and clothes alone."

"What the hell are you and the older version of me doing here?" Max asked. "And the adult Neil and Tabii, for that matter?!"

"Well, Max got a job as counselor a couple years ago, and Neil and Tabii were added on this year. I arrived last month when they needed a hand to watch the kids."

"And Max is her boyfriend!" added Gwen, popping up and startling Neil.

"Yes, and Max is my boyfriend," C. Nikki confirmed.

"I'm going to go bang my head into the wall," Max groaned.

"How did you guys even get together?" Neil asked, tilting his head.

"Well… it's a complicated story…"

"It involves Garden Mother Sasha and Tabii taking a fork to the eye," Gwen added. "Also, I'm pretty sure Sasha's still in jail for that."

"You guys got her arrested?" inquired Nikki.

"No, she got  _herself_ arrested for assault and destruction of property because she's a deranged stalker," Gwen corrected. "Specifically, Max's deranged stalker."

"And I'll kick her in the face if she tries it again," C. Nikki muttered darkly, heading back into the kitchen.

"I  _like_  older me!" declared Nikki to her two friends.

"Well, older  _me_  is working at Camp Campbell,  _dating_  older you, and is apparently being stalked by Sasha."

Before Nikki could get out a reply, the doors opened and the campers came in. A man who could only be the adult version of Neil came in, writing something on a clipboard.

"Hey, Neil!" C. Nikki greeted him.

"Hey, Nikki," he replied, clicking his pen. "Did you see the letter your mom sent?"

"Ugh. Yeah. Can you  _believe_  she wants me to move back home at the end of the summer?  _Not happening_."

"She asked me the same thing in her letter to me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Neil interrupted his older self. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Me and Nikki are step-siblings," explained C. Neil. "Candy wants us both to move back home at the end of the summer—you know, while I'm working on my PHD."

"NERD!" both young and older Max called.

"Shut up!" both Neils yelled back. Both Nikkis started laughing, as did the other campers.

The fact that nobody was bothered by the fact that the younger versions of their counselors were here bothered Max. Were they so desensitized to weird stuff now that this was just a normal occurrence for them?

"Hey, what happened to your arm?" Nikki asked C. Max, looking at the bandages wrapped around his forearm.

"Oh. Cut it on a rock. Not a big deal."

"You were bleeding like you'd been shot," C. Nikki snorted. "Quit trying to play it off."

"Aw, c'mon, Nik. It wasn't a big deal. Besides, it was worth it."

"Where the hell did you cut your arm where it was worth it?" Max snorted.

"Pulling David out of the river."

"The river's like, four feet deep. The kid could've made it."

"Maybe at  _your_  Camp Campbell it is," C. Nikki said sternly. "At ours, it's eight feet in the middle. Twelve when it's storming like it was that day. We're lucky they both came back."

Max opened his mouth, then closed it.

_Older me risked his life to save younger David?_

"S-sorry. Ours only gets that deep if it's been a few days of storming."

"I get it. Sorry for snapping. It's just been a long week." She held up her hands defensively and Max could see why older him fell for her.

"Hey, Max," David greeted him, entering the mess hall.

"You done with your fucking pouting?" Max asked.

"Yes. Language."

"Nice try," C. Max chuckled. "My counselors did that, too—only it never stuck. I'm still the same asshole I was back then."

"You callin' me an asshole, fucker?" Max growled.

"I'm calling  _us_  assholes."

"But I love you anyway," C. Nikki piped up, kissing C. Max on the cheek.

"Aw…" Nikki cooed while Max silently contemplated banging his head into the wall like he'd thought about earlier.

"You curse around the kids?" David asked worriedly.

"You really have to ask that?" both Maxes sighed.

"Never mind." Max took the opportunity to go and look around outside a little more.

The camp seemed mostly the same, with a few small changes here and there. The infirmary looked like it was in much better condition, save for the dented metal wastebasket sitting by the door.

"What happened to that thing?" he muttered.

"I can tell you!" C. David's voice said behind him. Max jumped.

"Jesus Christ, David! What the fuck?!"

"Sorry."

"But… sure. Tell me what happened."

"Max kicked it into a wall."

"Whoa. Why?"

"He'd just finished talking to my dad after I got hurt last week and he was  _angry_. Angrier than I've ever seen him. He kicked it into the wall and swore 'f'ing a-hole'."

"Jesus."

Max knew in that moment that older him was protective of younger David.

The same way David was protective of him.

"Well, thanks for telling me."

"He  _did_  get pretty mad a few days ago, though."

"What happened?"

"Long story short, Gwen saw a bite mark on Nikki's neck and thought she was turning into a vampire, so we hid out the counselors' cabin in the middle of the night to catch the vampire who bit her. We ended up attacking Max and getting in trouble."

Max had to fight to keep from laughing.

"W-what was the bite mark?"

"Nikki said it was just a 'love bite' that adults sometimes give each other. Max has one, too, but I think he almost called it something else until Nikki cut him off."

_So I'm the one who has no filter and Nikki has one. Interesting…_

"Of course, I'll have to get used to it, I guess. Nikki says they're moving in together and adopting me at the end of the summer."

" _What?!_ "

"Yeah. I wasn't expecting it either, but it's gonna be great, Max!"

_Max._

_"Max."_

"Max!"

Max opened his eyes to see Neil and Nikki shaking him. He was in his tent, back at  _his_  Camp Campbell and not the weird one he'd just been at.

"Ugh," he groaned.

"You were talking in your sleep," Nikki told him, shaking her head. "Something about biting people and you having no filter."

"I was just having a weird dream. We went to a Camp Campbell where  _we_  were the counselors and David and Gwen were campers. And Jaspar was alive."

"What else happened in your dream?" Neil inquired, intrigued.

"I dunno… I found out the counselor versions of me and Nikki were dating and that older me risked his ass to save camper David. It was just weird all around."

"Cool dream, though," Nikki piped up.

"I don't know," Neil mused. "It sounds like something from the fucked-up mind of a fanfiction writer going into her first year of college who spends  _way_  too much time watching web cartoons. And writing the fanfiction."

"Yeah, like she wrote it as part of a chapter to fuck with her readers," Max agreed.

"C'mon, that's silly!" Nikki giggled. "Let's go mess with David."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to be meta and I think I failed. Yes, I'm a fanfiction writer going into her first year of college who spends way too much time watching web cartoons. And writing fanfiction. I just outed myself as a girl. FIGHT ME, INTERNET!
> 
> Actually, don't, because I start college in less than two weeks and I want to help my friend move into her dorm.
> 
> ANYWAY
> 
> What do you guys think?
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	10. Parents' Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parents' Day arrives and Max deals with Jaspar and David's asshole dad...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY JUST TO CLEAR SOMETHING UP—CHAPTER NINE WAS A JOKE CHAPTER TO FUCK WITH YOU GUYS.
> 
> I wanted to get the chapter count up, so I came up with a random idea and ran with it. Also, I had an idea for the next actual chapter and wanted to use it to mark the fact that we HIT DOUBLE DIGITS ON THIS STORY! Sorry.
> 
> But, yeah, part of this is gonna be Max and Nikki not only being mom and dad to David, but also to Jaspar. That's what this chapter is—essentially a Parents' Day chapter with Jaspar's parents not showing up and Campbell actually narrowly escaping arrest.

_Parents' Day._

Max let out a groan as he sat up in bed and double-checked the calendar. Today was the day that he and the other counselors had been dreading all summer—a day that would either end in joy or somebody getting arrested.

And he'd be damned if it was him.

"Morning, Max," Nikki greeted him as she entered the office. She put his filled coffee mug—black, no sugar, just the way he liked it—on the desk.

"Morning, Nik. Ready for this shitshow?" She crossed the room and sat on the end of his bed.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Maybe this one won't be as bad as ours was. Or have as much nudity."

"I  _still_  can't believe your mom and Neil's dad ended up getting together after that shit. You can't pull that and  _not_  end up on some kind of watchlist. At least, not  _now_."

"Uh-huh. I think that's why we'll wait till the end of the summer." Max smirked at her and she kissed him on the cheek. "Hands to yourself today, please."

"You got it, babe."

"I'm serious, Max. One misplaced touch and you're cut off for a week."

"Fuck." He laid back on his pillow. "This was a bad idea."

"It's a tradition and you know it. We'd never hear the end of it from Campbell if we skipped out."

"Since when do  _you_  care about rules?"

"Since this is the only job either of us have. I've been trying for jobs with the park service, but no luck. This is all I've got."

"Fair." He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched. "Well, let's get this show on the road. See you outside."

"Drink your coffee, asshole."

It was their way of saying ' _I love you_ ' without actually saying it. Max watched her leave, chugged down his coffee, and got dressed as fast as he could before heading outside. The campers were waiting for him, all looking very tired and confused.

"All right, kids, today's the day."

"Christmas!" Nikki yelled, throwing her arms in the air excitedly.

"No, Nikki," he sighed, putting her arms down. "It's Parents' Day."

"Sorry. You know I always mix them up."

"Wait, our parents are coming?" Gwen asked.

"Yep. Let's  _try_  to show them that this camp  _isn't_  a fucking waste of time."

"Did somebody say 'Christmas'?" Mr. Campbell asked, popping up behind them.

" _Santa_!" yelled Space Kid.

"Hello, Mr. Campbell," Max groaned.

"Hello, Maxim! How are you today?" He glanced over at Nikki. "And I see Girl Neil has returned."

"Good morning, Mr. Campbell," Nikki greeted him. "And it's 'Nikki', sir."

"Well, you  _certainly_  grew up well…" Max let out a growl of warning. "But that's beside the point! Why are you all out here instead of at your activities?"

"Because it's Parents' Day," Max informed the camp owner.

"Oh, wait, that's today?"

"Yes, it's today."

"But that  _can't_  be! I mean, then the parents—"

"Will see that this camp is its own thing and not conforming to whatever they thought it was," Neil finished. "Same as they did when  _we_  were Campbell campers."

Campbell breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, it  _seems_  as if you four have it handled, so I'll just be on my way!"

Before the camp owner could leave, the bus showed up, driven by Quartermaster.

"Parents are here," he grunted.

"Fuck."

* * *

"I can't believe David's dad showed," Max commented to Nikki as he watched the burly man stand over his skinny son. "Bastard."

"At least he came," Nikki reminded him. "I didn't see anybody here for Jaspar. Did you?"

"No." Max had a creeping feeling that there  _wouldn't_  be anybody here for Jaspar. "And there probably won't be."

"Do we pull one like they did  _our_  first Parents' Day?"

Max had to think about that.

His first Parents' Day—his parents hadn't bothered to show up. It stung, especially seeing all the other kids reunite with their parents after half a summer away from them. Campbell, desperate to avoid arrest, had demanded that Darla and Gregg—the only counselors at Camp Campbell at the time—pretend to be Max's parents for the day. It worked, luckily, and everyone bought it.

The following year, his parents had shown up. Not his birth parents, but his adoptive ones. Darla and Gregg had adopted him after that first summer, and he was forever grateful to them for that.

No way in  _hell_  was he going to let Jaspar go through the pain of being abandoned.

"Yeah. Let Neil and Tabii know so they can head up the activities for the day."

Nikki nodded and Max grabbed Jaspar's arm while she talked to the other counselors.

"Hey, what gives?" Jaspar protested as Max dragged him over to a corner.

"Jaspar, I noticed your parents aren't here." Jaspar opened and closed his mouth. "The rule of Parents' Day is that everyone has at least one parent or guardian to spend the day with them."

"My parents aren't going to show up," Jaspar mumbled. "They sent me here because they left the country for the summer and didn't want to deal with me."

"I get it." Jaspar tilted his head. "That's why Nikki and I thought we'd do for you what Darla and Gregg did for me on Parents' Day."

"Your parents didn't show up?"

"Didn't even bother the first summer. Darla and Gregg spent the day acting like my parents at Campbell's insistence." Jaspar thought for a moment, then put two and two together.

"You and Nikki are going to be my mom and dad for the day?"

"If you say it's fine. Otherwise, you get Neil and Tabii."

"I'd prefer you and Nikki."

"They said they can handle it," Nikki informed Max, coming over. "So, we ready to be the 'perfect nuclear family' for today?"

"Yes,  _Mom_ ," Jaspar replied jokingly. She ruffled his hair.

That was when Max noticed two FBI agents talking to Campbell. They introduced themselves as Agent Miller and Agent Miller… and Ered's dads. She had two dads. That was actually kind of awesome, to be honest. And the fact that Nurf's incarcerated mother had made the effort to actually  _show up_  made the absence of Jaspar's all the more incriminating to child neglect. Not that Max wanted to assume, but he'd checked Jaspar's file that morning.

It just said 'Jaspar. 10.'

That was it.

No specific camp, no last name, no contact information.

Just his first name and his age.

_God, people like that make me so fucking sick. He's your child, not a rating._

* * *

The rest of the day went as expected. Jaspar hung around Max and Nikki, acting as if they were his parents. Max also learned that Harrison's parents were terrified of his abilities and that Dolph's dad disapproved of his art. That was no big deal. Harrison had some legit power that could be a little frightening to people and parents tended to disapprove of their kids becoming artists no matter who they were.

Then there was David's dad, who picked out Max in an instant based on his voice alone.

"You must be David's counselor," he said, his voice deep and commanding. Max didn't flinch.

"Yeah, I am."

"You're the one who pulled him out of the river."

"Yeah, and I'm also the one who told you to get with the program and start giving a shit about your damn kid."

"It's none of your business."

"It  _is_  my business when your damn son almost drowns and you can't be bothered to make sure he's all right."

"Please. You're just some high-school dropout, burnt-out stoner who only took this job because it was the only place that would hire your ungrateful ass without a diploma."

"Excuse me,  _sir_ , but I have two degrees. One is in business and the other is in dealing with  _asshole parents and their bullshit_. And I have  _never_  smoked that shit in my life."

Mr. Greene opened and closed his mouth, not having a response to this. Then he did.

"And what would  _you_  know about parenting?"

"I know that parents should give two shits about when their kid has a concussion. I know that they shouldn't say the kid deserved to fall in raging twelve-foot river during a fucking typhoon. I know that they should care that their kid nearly died. Tell me, Mr. Green. Which of those three things did you do?"

David's dad had no response again before he did.

"Then maybe  _you_  should try raising that little homo."

Mr. Greene turned on his heel and left. Max was  _seething_  with rage, but Nikki put her hand on his shoulder.

"We'll call CPS at the end of the summer."

* * *

Dinner went as well as anybody expected, too. The Millers questioned Muack the platypus's existence, but other than that, it went smoothly. After that was the show, in which all the kids showed off what they'd learned that summer. After all, there was only a week left of camp. Campbell had chosen to move Parents' Day closer to the end of the summer sometime during the years Max had been away from Camp Campbell, which was fine by him. It meant less time dealing with bullshit and more time with the kids.

Well, not tonight.

Tonight, he and Nikki took Jaspar out for pizza, just like Darla and Gregg had done for him.

"It's… really cool of you guys to do this," Jaspar told his counselors.

"We thought you'd appreciate it," Max replied. "Besides, it's like Gregg told me—life sucks sometimes, but at least there's pizza."

"Which is always a bonus," Nikki added, setting the pan on the table.

"Are you  _sure_  Mr. Campbell's okay with you taking me away from camp like this?"

"I talked to him about it and explained the situation, and he gave the okay," Max sighed. "Besides, I don't have to look at David's asshole dad."

Jaspar laughed and ate some pizza. Then Max got an idea.

"Nikki, do you have a pen and paper in your backpack?" he asked.

"Yep." She handed him a small notepad and a pen. He scribbled something on the notepad and tore off the page.

"This is my phone number," he told Jaspar, giving it to him. "If you need help or somewhere to go, just call me."

"Thanks, Max." Jaspar gave Max a smile.

God, Max was going to miss the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have lied about this story.
> 
> This isn't going to just be a summer story. Instead, this will continue outside of camp, without most of the campers. Max giving Jaspar his phone number is important, and Nikki was serious about CPS.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	11. Merry Fucking Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David's dad is finally confronted and things quickly turn nasty...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of summer chapter.
> 
> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DRUNKEN VIOLENCE AND MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE.

_The summer went by way too fast._

That was the top thought in David's head as he packed his stuff. He was going home with his dad, who had  _not_  been happy on Parents' Day a week earlier. His stomach churned at the thought of spending the next nine months with his father, a man who didn't support him or his talents. It would've been different if his mom was still around, but she wasn't.

"David?"

He turned to see Max in the entryway of the tent. Jaspar had already gone to the mess hall with his stuff.

"Hi, Max!" the little boy greeted his favorite counselor, plastering a grin on his face.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sad, actually. I like it here. You only yell at me if I do something really bad or you're scared for me."

"And your dad yells at you for everything?" David nodded stiffly. "You know that's not how a dad is supposed to treat his kid, right?"

"Yeah, I do. But he's still my dad."

"You done packing?"

"Yep!" David picked up his duffle bag and walked with Max to the mess hall. "So, what are you going to do now that camp's over?"

"I actually have a job where I live," Max told the boy. "I handle some business stuff for a company, but they gave me the summer to work here and train Neil as the next head counselor."

"So you're not coming back?"

"I am, because Neil's heading off on a research trip next summer and I've got to get Nikki trained in the position instead." David laughed. He liked the idea of Nikki being head counselor.

Inside the mess hall, everyone was saying goodbye to each other. Some—like Preston's to  _literally everybody at camp_ —were tearful and dramatic. Others, like the way Nerris said goodbye to Harrison, were more curt. David sat down on one of the benches between Gwen and Jaspar.

"This is it, huh?" Gwen mused to her two friends.

"Yep," Jaspar sighed. "I'm gonna miss this."

"I'm gonna miss you guys," added David. The three of them hugged.

Gwen's parents showed up a few minutes later and took her home.

One by one, the campers left until there was just David and the counselors.

"Your dad'll be here," Max assured the kid, but David stared at the floor.

Sure enough, David's dad showed up after sunset, well after all the stars had come out. David gave a hug to each of his counselors, then Max gave him a small paper with a phone number.

"If you need anything—help, a place to stay—call me. I'll be there for you."

"Thanks, Max." David gave his counselor an extra hug.

"David Greene, get your ass in the car!" Mr. Greene yelled.

"See you next summer!" David called, running to the car.

Camp was officially over.

* * *

_December._

The holiday season marked Max's yearly halfway point—halfway between the end of camp and the beginning of camp. It also marked the first time he'd had a girlfriend for longer than two months, seeing as he and Nikki had gotten together in July and it was closer to Christmas than anything else.

Speaking of Nikki, she'd moved in with him back in October, shortly after she'd had a massive fight with both her parents about her financial situation. She'd managed to get a job with the park service, like she'd wanted, but all she could afford was a crappy apartment in the bad area of town. She'd asked Max if she could move in with him, and he'd said yes.

He awoke to the smell of bacon one morning, three weeks before Christmas. He was alone in bed, meaning Nikki was awake and making breakfast already. And it smelled good. The twenty-five-year-old got out of bed and headed into the kitchen. His girlfriend was at the stove, wearing nothing but her underwear and one of his old T-shirts.

"Morning, Max!" she greeted him cheerfully. A cup of coffee was already on the table, along with the tiny living Christmas tree Nikki had insisted they buy.

"Morning, Nik," he replied, grabbing the coffee and crossing the room to hug her from behind.

"By the way, your phone's been going off for a while, now. Might want to answer it."

Max released her and picked up his phone.

_5 missed calls_.

All were from the same number, one he didn't recognize. Before he could call back, his phone went off again. This time, he was able to answer.

"This is Max Acharya. Who is this?" he asked.

_"Max? It's David."_

"David?" Nikki turned off the stove and slid the bacon onto a plate. "What's wrong?"

_"M-my dad… he's scaring me. He smells weird and his voice is slurring… and he keeps calling me a weird word. It starts with an 'f', I think?"_

"Okay. David, where are you?"

_"I'm in my closet, at home."_

"Stay where you are. Nikki and I are coming to get you."

He'd memorized David's address back when they were at camp, as soon as he figured out what kind of guy Mr. Greene was. He'd figured it'd come in handy, and he was right.

_"O-okay. Thank you, Max."_

There was a click as David hung up. Nikki dashed into the bedroom and came out less than two minutes later, fully dressed for the snowy weather outside. Max got dressed just as quickly, downed the rest of his coffee, and slid on his hoodie and parka. Nikki already had the keys to his car in her hand, so all that was left to do was  _go_.

* * *

The Greene household was about twenty minutes away, they discovered. It was well outside the city limits, where there weren't many houses. Mostly farms, with the occasional lone house. Max pulled up in front of a modest farmhouse—white with green shutters and a porch that seemed straight out of a movie. It was homey, the kind of place a lot of people wanted to raise a family in.

Just not the family that was inside.

Max knocked on the door, Nikki behind him. Mr. Greene's truck was smashed into a tree outside, the hood open and filling with snow as it fell. A lump formed in Max's throat as he again knocked on the door. There was still no answer, so he tried the doorknob. It turned effortlessly, revealing the smashed-up furniture inside. Mr. Green himself was sitting in the dining room, his head on the kitchen table. His eyes opened as soon as Max closed the door behind him and he was on his feet.

" _You_ ," he spat, getting to his feet. "What the  _fuck_  are you doing in my house?"

_Jesus Christ, no wonder your truck was smashed. You're_ **plastered** _._

"David gave us a call and asked us to check up on you," Max stated, trying the diplomatic approach.

"What  _I_  do is none of  _your_  damn business, Camp Man! Get the fuck out of my house!" Suddenly, he glared at the floor. " _David Isaac Greene, get your ass down here, you little fucking pansy!_ "

" _Shit_ ," Max muttered. They needed to get David out as soon as possible.

They could hear the sound of a door opening upstairs, then a set of small, hesitant footsteps making their way down the stairs. David appeared in the doorway of the dining room, his red hair greasy and unkempt. His clothes were ripped and patched, and he wasn't wearing anything on his feet, but that wasn't what caught Max's attention.

It was the black eye and bruises the boy was sporting.

_Okay, we need him out_ **now** _._

"Max! Nikki!" he gasped, running up and hugging Nikki since she was closer. She grabbed him and pulled him close to her, unwilling to let him near his father. Max was suddenly grateful for Nikki having crazy strong maternal instincts, despite her not being an actual mother. He'd seen it fourteen years earlier when caring for Muack when she was an egg, and he was seeing it now.

"David, come here," Mr. Greene slurred.

"Sir, you're going to do something you might regret," Max warned, standing between the giant of a man and the two people he wanted to protect. "I'd suggest backing away and sobering up."

"And I'd suggest backing the  _fuck up_  and letting me handle my disrespectful son!"

"Over my dead body."

"Then let's  _arrange that._ "

Mr. Greene grabbed Max by the front of his jacket and slammed the younger man into the wall. Max managed to move his head out of the way just in time to avoid being punched. Out of fury, Mr. Greene threw him into the opposite wall and turned his attention to Nikki and David. Nikki picked David up and ran with him in her arms, straight into the kitchen. It was the closest option and actually provided quite a few options for defending yourself.

"You fucking  _bitch_!" the man thundered. "Get back here with my son!"

"Don't you  _dare_ touch her!" Max growled, scrambling to his feet. He kicked Mr. Greene in the back of the knee and sent him to the floor. That didn't last long, unfortunately, and Mr. Greene quickly got back to his feet.

"I'll kill you, then her and the boy!" Nikki gasped as Max was slammed back into the wall.

"David, call the police," she instructed, handing him her phone and putting her jacket on him. "Go outside and wait. I have to help Max."

David nodded wordlessly, too scared to talk. He headed out the back door and went around to the front to make the call.

"Don't fuck with my family, boy!" Mr. Greene boomed as he threw Max into a cabinet. It broke with the force and Max struggled to stand back up. The much-larger man picked up a chair and raised it above his head to bring it down on Max.

"HEEYAAAAH!" Nikki screeched, jumping onto Mr. Greene's back. She looked very much the part of the wild child she'd been when she and Max had met, and dug her sharp fingernails into Mr. Greene's back. He dropped the chair and tried to get her off, but failed.

The black-haired man managed to get back to his feet just as Mr. Greene backed hard into the wall, banging Nikki's head into it. That got her to loosen her grip and fall to the floor. Her head was spinning and Mr. Greene brought his fist back, aiming straight for her face.

Max saw red at that moment.

"I  _said_ , don't you  _dare FUCKING TOUCH HER!_ " he yelled, getting Mr. Greene's attention.

Just as the man turned around, Max landed a solid punch to his jaw, knocking him into the kitchen. Mr. Greene faltered for a moment before falling, landing on the tile floor and losing consciousness. Max stood there, panting, as Nikki staggered to her own two feet. David peeked into the dining room and stared at the scene before him, too afraid to move.

"He's down for the count," Max told Nikki, swaying. Blood oozed from a wound in his head.

"Max!" she yelped as he fell forward. David ran to her side as they sat there, praying that everything would be okay.

* * *

"Let me go with him."

"What's your relation to the victim?"

"I'm his girlfriend. Please!"

"We need space to work on him, ma'am, but you can follow us in your car. Take the boy with you." Nikki let out a low growl at the paramedic as she gripped David's hand.

"Let's go, David."

The two of them watched the paramedics load Max into an ambulance. A second one was on the way for Mr. Greene. They'd determined that Nikki and David's injuries weren't severe enough to warrant an ambulance in this weather, and that Nikki was in sufficient condition to at  _least_  drive to the hospital, apparently.

David had no words as Nikki led him to her and Max's car. She didn't have anything to say, either, as he buckled himself into the front seat and she followed behind the ambulance containing Max. Neither of them wanted to admit the twisted feelings in their respective guts, or the relief they felt that something had been done at last.

As they pulled up to the hospital, Nikki could feel tears in her eyes. They weren't from the pain in the back of her head, or the nail that had been nearly torn from her finger. No, they were from relief and fear for Max's life. He'd taken the brunt of the damage in that fight and it was natural for her to worry, wasn't it?

"Nikki."

She looked over at David, who gave her a kind smile and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Max will be okay. He's tough and I'm sure he'll make it."

She smiled and parked the car before leaning over and giving David a big, bone-crushing hug.

"He thought you were worth it," she told him.

* * *

Max let out a groan as he opened his eyes. All he could see was white above him. Something was on his finger and stuck in his arm, too. And there was pain. A lot of pain, all over his body. There was weight on the end of his bed. He looked down to see Nikki sleeping there. David was curled up around his feet like a puppy.

_I'm in the hospital. How long have I been out?_

"Nik," he whispered. She opened one eye and then sat up.

"You're awake," she sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few days. David and I have been here the entire time. They're monitoring me to make sure I don't have a concussion and David's refused to leave your side." She had a smile that told him just how worried she'd been.

"God… sorry, Nik. Guess I scared you guys pretty fucking bad."

"On the bright side, the police said they weren't going to arrest you." Max blinked.  _That_  was a surprise.

"Seriously? After we broke into the house and knocked the owner unconscious?"

"They said that because David called us and the fact that we were protecting a child in a 'volatile situation', the only person who's facing time right now is Mr. Greene. He's being charged with child abuse, neglect, being drunk and disorderly, and assault."

"This whole thing is a mess." David yawned in his sleep and scooted closer to Nikki.

"David's been really attached these past couple days. He'll barely let me out of his sight unless I leave him with you."

"Yeah." Max smiled at the little boy at the end of his bed. "You know, ever since summer, I've been thinking about something."

"About… what?" Nikki inquired.

"About… adopting David. He obviously needs a home that's more stable than a dad who gets drunk and beats him up for no reason. I think we can give him that. What do you think?"

"I think you're right. Besides, I'm kinda attached to him, too."

David coughed in his sleep, which turned out to be enough to wake him up.

"Max, you're awake!" he cheered, hugging his former counselor. Max let out a hiss of pain. "Sorry!"

"Nah, it's fine. My body just hurts. It's nothing you did."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit, but I'll live. I've had worse." That made Nikki knit her eyebrows together with worry, but she didn't say anything. The doctor came in a couple minutes later and asked her to take David out of the room so he could examine Max.

"Well, you seem to be recovering well."

"Eh, it's like I told Nikki. I've had worse than that before."

"Most of your injuries consisted of severe bruising, although you  _did_  sustain a couple of broken ribs. You also fractured your wrist, but that's any easy fix."

"Thanks, Doc."

"It's no problem. Your girlfriend didn't have a concussion, by the way. I'm not sure if she told you. And the boy will be fine. He just needs a little more time to heal."

"I think we all do."

* * *

A couple weeks passed. Max was released from the hospital and headed back to the apartment, where Nikki had been living with David since the hospital told her she couldn't be there round-the-clock anymore. She'd also put in for custody of David while Max was laid up, a paper that Max had  _gladly_  signed. Mr. Greene had been swiftly put on trial once his relatively minor injuries healed and put in jail even more quickly. However, today, the little family of three wasn't concerned about prison or abusive dads.

In fact, it was around seven AM Christmas morning, and Max was asleep in his bed.

"Merry Christmas, Max!"

Nikki's cheerful voice made him sit straight up. She was sitting on her side of the bed, David seated next to her with a matching grin.

"Merry Christmas, you gremlins," he laughed. Nikki was wearing a set of actual pajamas now, rather than his old shirt. A little disappointing, but A), it was cold, and B), there was a ten-year-old boy living in their apartment now.

"Can we open presents?" David asked, bouncing.

"Sure," Max agreed. He got out of bed and glared at the cast on his wrist. It would come off in another week, but it was still frustrating. He shook his head and joined the two in the living room, where David had already pulled out the presents.

There were some from Nikki and Max to David, and ones from Nikki and Max's respective families. Darla had even sent a box of holiday fudge  _specifically_  for Nikki, something that the younger woman had  _greatly_  appreciated. David was more excited to spend time with Nikki and Max than he was to open presents, though.

Then there was the final box.

"Go ahead and open it," Max encouraged.

David did.

It was an adoption certificate.

"You mean…?" David gasped.

"Welcome to the family, David."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ASDFJKL SO FUCKING CUTE!
> 
> Yes, Max, Nikki, and David are a family now. Jaspar will come later, but for now, let our three be happy.
> 
> The fight scene was actually something I knew I wanted in the story from the moment I concepted it. I wanted Max to have a physical confrontation with David's dad. Originally, this was going to happen because Mr. Greene showed up drunk when it was time to pick David up from camp, and it'd escalate into a brawl. I settled on this because nothing says 'Christmas' like getting you and your girlfriend getting into a fight with the abusive father of your favorite camper!
> 
> Also, I wanted the fight to have a bit more meaning. The fight was not just to protect David. In a way, it was Max confronting his own abuse from the past and letting it out. Okay, it was also Max protecting Nikki. I'm a sucker for that shit.
> 
> Oh! I just realize this is the longest chapter yet! Next one comes out soon, with some Jaspar action!
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	12. Housewarming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, Nikki, and David move to a new home outside the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *imitates Mushu from Mulan as I rise from the flaming smoke* I LIIIIIIIVE!
> 
> In all seriousness, I'm sorry I haven't updated this. If you don't follow my stories like crazy, I've had two specific stories that I've been focusing on for the past couple of weeks. Those are 'The Final Bell' and 'The Princess, The Thief, and The Alchemist'—both of which you should totally read if you get the chance. One is actually finished and the other one has daily updates that I've been churning out, so check them out!
> 
> First chapter with David as Nikki and Max's son. Enjoy!

David couldn't be happier in his new life with Max and Nikki.

Max was the kind of dad who cared from a distance—offering advice and reprimanding David when he screwed up, but ultimately providing the kind of care David needed from a father figure. Nikki was the mom that David had never really had—all about the hugs and making sure he had a semi-clean house to come home to. In all the buzz from moving from the country to the city, David had changed schools, too. His new classmates were city kids who saw him as a country bumpkin—a weirdo who didn't fit in.

That was the downside about the new situation.

"David, you okay?" Max asked him at dinner.

"I'm fine," David mumbled, picking at his food.

"If something's wrong, you can tell us," Nikki assured him. "We'll help."

"Seriously, I'm fine. I'm just having some trouble making friends at school."

"That's normal," Max stated with a shrug. "Just let us know if they start picking on you.  _That's_  when we're going to have a problem."

"Okay." Max glanced at Nikki, and they both looked at their adopted son.

"David, we have something to tell you," Nikki sighed. "You  _do_  know the reason we have a bunch of houseplants, right?"

"Because you get all sick when you're away from nature for too long?"

"Exactly. Well, we've been talking, and this apartment isn't big enough for the three of us."

"So, Nikki and I have been looking at places outside the city, and… we found a place. It's not that big, but it's a decent size for us. We wanted to discuss it with you before we made an offer."

"We're… moving?"

"If you're okay with it," Nikki interjected.

"Yeah… I'm okay with it." David gave his adoptive parents a big smile. "I'll do the dishes!"

He took Max and Nikki's plates along with his own and ran to the sink, where he hopped up on the stepstool they'd bought him. Max chuckled and took his phone out of his pocket to make a call. Nikki couldn't help but smile, too.

"Hey, Olivia. It's Max Acharya. I'm calling to make an offer on that house you showed me and Nikki." Short silence. "Yeah. I'll be there tomorrow. We'll discuss it then. Say, ten?" A little more silence. "See you." Max hung up.

"So, what'd she say?" Nikki inquired.

"We're meeting at her office tomorrow to discuss payment. Ten o'clock, while David's at school."

"Okay. I'll call my boss and let him know I'm coming in late tomorrow."

"And I'll do the same."

"This just feels more and more real… like we're  _really_  building a life together." They hugged and David glanced over. He'd already finished the dishes. "David, get your ass over here and join the hug."

David grinned even more widely and hugged his adoptive parents.

* * *

"Are we almost there?!"

"Calm down, Davey," Max sighed as he glanced in the rearview mirror. "I told you—it's a bit of a drive from our old place, but it's also closer to where me and Nikki work."

"So you'll be starting at a new school again," Nikki added. "I hope you're okay with that."

"Yeah. I'm fine with it."

"Settle down and we'll tell you when we get there."

David nodded and stared out the window as the buildings became fewer and fewer. He could remember Max talking fondly about the city over the summer, but he didn't quite get it. Why live in a dangerous, smog-filled city when you could live in the fresh air of the country? He suspected Nikki agreed on that front, but he didn't say anything.

"We're here," Max announced after a few more minutes of driving. David bounced as Max put the car in park. The moving van was already there, the movers bringing the stuff into the new house.

It was a clean-looking two-story place with a garage and plenty of space in the yard. There was also a front porch with a swing and plants already hanging from the beams. In the backyard, the beginnings of the nearby forest could be seen. David felt even more excited.

It looked like a home.

"Ready to go inside, David?" Max asked.

"Yes!" David slid out of the car as one of the movers came up to Max. Max paid the man for his services (plus tip) and the movers were gone. Nikki got out of the passenger seat and took a deep breath.

"Oh, yeah! Smell that nature! That's the stuff!" she sighed.

"Nature is to you and David what drugs are to the rest of us," Max laughed. "You said the same thing on your first day at Camp Campbell right before you bit Greg's hand to 'assert dominance'. He was so freaked out!"

"What can I say? I love me some nature." She kissed him on the cheek as David ran into the house.

The inside was fairly standard—stairs leading to the second floor, a living room, a small dining room, and a kitchen. And that's just what David could see. He ran upstairs to see what else there was and found five bedrooms.

"Wow! That's a lot of space!" he yelled.

"We wanted to have plenty of room for any future additions, because I'm not buying another house unless this one burns down," Max told his son.

" 'Future additions'?" Nikki questioned.

"I mean if we have any more kids."

"I think we should get settled in before we think about more kids," Nikki laughed as David came back downstairs. "And David, let's unpack before we do anything else."

"Okay!"

"Get started on your room so you have a place to sleep. We'll get started down here."

"Yes, ma'am!" David went back upstairs again, leaving his adoptive parents alone.

"Now that we're alone…" Max chuckled, wrapping his arms around Nikki's waist.

"We can  _unpack_. No funny business until we're settled in." She was smiling, but he knew she was being dead serious.

"Okay, fine. You're the boss." He took out his pocket-knife and sliced open a box in the kitchen. "We've got… dishes."

"Glasses and silverware in here," Nikki replied, opening another box.

"Great! We can almost have dinner tonight."

"Uh, no. I'm not cooking. We're getting pizza."

"Fair enough."

* * *

By nightfall, the boxes had all been unpacked and they were currently sitting on the couch, watching a movie on TV. David was sitting between Max and Nikki, a tired expression on his face as he fell asleep on Nikki's lap.

"Aw… remember at camp when he did this?" Nikki whispered.

"Yeah. I'll take him up to bed if you want, then we can take care of anything else we need to do."

"Sounds good."

Max lifted the ten-year-old up and carried him upstairs, tucking him into bed. David's room was actually pretty bare; he didn't really have any toys or games or anything yet, save for the few he'd brought from his old house. They were actually planning to take him into the city and let him pick out some stuff to help decorate his room, but that wouldn't happen until he started school again.

"Night, bud," Max murmured, pulling the blankets over David.

"Night, Dad," David mumbled in his sleep. Max froze.

_Did he just call me Dad?_

The twenty-five-year-old slipped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him before heading downstairs. Nikki was taking inventory of what was in the fridge, leaning over to see what was inside. It was too good an opportunity, so Max took it. He pinched her butt and she let out a yelp.

"Dammit, Max!" she hissed, giggling.

"Hey, you like that shit, so don't protest."

"I'm not. I'm just saying, maybe  _not_  do it when you've just finished putting our ten-year-old son in bed?"

"Fair enough." Max cleared his throat as Nikki turned back to the fridge. "David just called me Dad."

Nikki whirled back around, a carton of orange juice in her hand as she looked at her boyfriend in surprise.

"Really? He called you 'Dad'?"

"Yep. I told him good night, and he said, 'night, Dad'."

"Oh my God. That is  _adorable_!" She put the orange juice back in the fridge and shut the door. "Well, we're set until Saturday. We'll have to go to the store then."

"I hope so. I only bought enough stuff for a few days." She gave him a tight hug, which he promptly returned.

"I'm so glad we're doing this." He tilted her chin up and started kissing her.

"I love you, Nik. Don't ever doubt that."

"Why would I? I love you, too."

They started kissing again, Max maneuvering them so that Nikki's back was against the island. His hands traveled down her body, brushing all the places he  _knew_  she was sensitive and making her sigh in pure ecstasy. She shuddered in anticipation as his hands went under the hem of her T-shirt, ready to do it…

…when her phone went off.

"Dammit," Max grumbled, running a hand through his hair. Nikki groaned and picked it up.

"It's Neil," she said in confusion. "I haven't spoken to him since Christmas. Why is he calling at eleven o'clock at night?"

"Answer it," Max replied, shrugging.

"Hello?" she answered.

" _Hey, Nikki! How are you?"_

"You're calling me at eleven o'clock for a 'how are you' call?"

" _No, that's not why I'm calling. I'm calling because I went by Max's apartment and nobody was there. The landlord said you moved out?"_

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. We forgot to tell you. We bought a house and we're living there now."

_"A house? You're not pregnant, are you?"_

"No, I'm not pregnant!" Max rolled his eyes and stifled a laugh. In response, she smacked his arm.

_"Are you sure?"_

"Yes, I'm sure. We haven't done anything in a while. Can we please change the subject?"

_"Yeah, sure. I'm leaving on my six-month research trip in the morning, and I wanted to say goodbye before I left."_

"Shit. I forgot. Sorry, Neil. We'll miss you at camp this summer!"

_"I'll miss you guys, too. Tell David I said bye."_

"We will."

_"Bye, Nikki. Oh, and tell Max I said goodbye, too."_

"He's right here." Nikki handed the phone to Max.

"S'up, nerd?"

_"I'm leaving tomorrow for my six-month research trip. I'll see you guys in September!"_

"Bye, Neil."

_Click_. Neil had hung up.

"I hate him sometimes," Max grumbled.

"Aw, because he cock-blocked you?"

"Exactly."

"Well, we have a brand-new bed upstairs that we still have to break in, if you're in the mood."

"Hell yeah I am. I'll take you in here some other time."

Nikki blushed as they headed upstairs.

A house-warming to remember for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done!
> 
> Like I said, I've had other fics I've been focusing on because this one is at a point where I can do sporadic updates. 'The Princess, The Thief, and The Alchemist' is my daily upload, while 'The Final Bell' is a completed story you can find on my profile.
> 
> That being said, there's an opportunity for you to meet me in real life. I'll be at DragonCon in Atlanta this weekend. Look for the girl with her hair in a ponytail wearing glasses with a Doctor Who backpack and a laptop. If there's a panel for Steven Universe, RWBY, Disney, Schoolhouse Rock, shipping, Gravity Falls, or Camp Camp, I'll be at any of those. If you really want a surefire way to see me, I'll be in line for the Tara Strong panel if there is one. Feel free to stop by and say hi, ask me questions, or just to bug me. No pictures, please, unless it's cool fanart you want to show me!
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	13. Return to Camp Campbell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to camp! First chapter of 2019! Sorry this took so long.

With summer approaching, Max, Nikki, and David prepared to return to Camp Campbell. This year, without Neil, there was going to be slightly more pressure on the three remaining counselors. Especially since Campbell had decided that  _he_  was going to be in charge of hiring Neil's replacement. Max had insisted that he, Tabii, and Nikki were enough to deal with the ten campers who had chosen to return, but Cameron Campbell knew best. And there were going to be twelve campers, apparently—not ten. Two new campers had signed up through Campbell directly rather than through Max or the website.

"Why the fuck would they sign up through Campbell?" Max asked Nikki as they drove towards the camp. He'd  _just_  read the message from Campbell regarding the new campers (which had arrived the night before; he had been too busy packing to read it then) and he was pissed.

"I don't know. Maybe their mom knew him before he was a criminal?" Nikki suggested.

"Doubtful. I'm ninety-nine percent sure that Campbell's been a thief since he was a teenager."

"Hey, Dad?" piped up David.

"Yeah, David?" Max glanced in the rearview mirror at his adopted son. "What's up?"

"Do you think Jaspar and Gwen will be back this year?"

"They'll be there," Nikki replied. "I saw them on the signup list. And they'll be there when everyone else arrives."

"Yes!" David fist-pumped and accidentally punched the roof of the car. "Oops. Sorry, Mom."

"It's fine, kiddo. You're too skinny to do much damage to this car."

"The Camp-Mobile, on the other hand…" Max chuckled. Nikki lightly punched him in the arm, careful due to the fact that he was driving.

"Look, I told you—we can try to replace it. We just need to convince Campbell to shell out the funds to do it."

"Yeah, like he's going to do that." Max rolled his eyes. "The richer rich people get, the less money they want to spend. Hence why our camp is in such shitty shape."

After a couple more hours of driving, they made it to the camp. Nikki was the first one out of the car, and she took a deep breath to smell that nature. David did the same, and Max rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"You two are some of the weirdest people I've ever met," he laughed. "Mind helping me with our luggage?"

David ran to the trunk and pulled out his guitar and suitcase, running back towards the mess hall. Once he'd deposited those items, he came back out and found Max setting up in the camp office. Nikki was in the counselor's cabin doing the same. Quartermaster was somewhere around, but David wasn't sure where. He didn't really care, though, because a few minutes later, Max and Nikki came out to start setting up the tents. David got first dibs because he was the first camper there. Which, come on, is fair. Even if two of the counselors were his parents. He'd be sharing with Jaspar again, which made him happy. Another summer of stupid campfire stories and staying up late… yes,  _please_.

To their shock, however, Campbell himself showed up that evening with two girls in tow. One had long, dark brown hair and the other was a blonde with her hair in pigtails. They were the new campers, and even more shocking was the fact that Campbell introduced them as his daughters. Rosemary and Annabelle. The girls were shown to a tent by David while Campbell handed their paperwork to Max.

"I expect that they'll be treated the same as any other camper. Rosemary is here for Horror Camp, and Annabelle is in Art Camp with that weird kid."

"Yes, sir." Max still looked confused.

"Now, if you'll excuse me…" Campbell disappeared into the mess hall and Max blinked.

"Okay. What the fuck? Since  _when_  does Campbell have kids?"

"Since our mothers signed us up," Rosemary sighed, rolling her eyes. Annabelle nodded. "He recognized their names and long story short, we now both know who our father is."

"You aren't… sisters?"

"I'm half Hispanic. Annabelle is a full-blooded white girl."

"Okay, then… I guess you girls get to pick your tent first."

"Thanks, Max!" Annabelle touched the tips of her fingers against her chin and moved her hand as if blowing a kiss. "Annabelle says thank you, too."

"Is she deaf?" Annabelle shook her head, making a fist so that her fingers faced her chin and the back of her hand faced Max, her thumb on the side. She moved the fist in front of her mouth.

"She's mute. She can't speak and I know how to speak sign language."

"Okay, well, we're gonna need you around, because otherwise I won't be able to understand her."

"That's how it works most of the time—she needs a translator because not many people can interpret sign language."

The two girls headed off and Max sighed.

"I feel bad for Annabelle," David commented. "Imagine not being able to speak…"

"I think some people would appreciate that when it comes to me," Max joked. "But in all honesty, I might need to pick up some sign language so I can understand her better."

"Aw, aren't you just the sweetest?" cooed Nikki, hugging her boyfriend and making him blush.

"I'm gonna help Rosemary and Annabelle get settled," David told his adoptive parents, heading off before they started kissing in front of him. When he reached the tents, he discovered Annabelle had already claimed one of the camp beds inside and was unpacking her stuff.

"Hi!" Rosemary greeted him. "You're one of the other campers, right?"

"Yeah. My name's David Acharya."

"I'm Rosemary Baker and this is Annabelle Form." Annabelle signed something. "She says it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you both, too. So you guys are Mr. Campbell's daughters?"

"Yep. I have a twin brother, too. Although… I've actually met you before. I was a Flower Scout last year."

"Oh! Really?"

"I'm surprised you don't remember. I was there when you guys tried to get Max and Nikki together." Annabelle narrowed her eyes and moved her hands. "Annabelle, I will play matchmaker whenever I damn well please."

Annabelle's next gesture needed no translation.

* * *

"They say deep in the woods, so far that it's called the Unknown, lurks the Beast. He seeks those who are far from home, never wanting to let them go back where they came from. And you'd best keep your spirits up there, for once you start to lose your will to fight, he begins to claim you. You turn to a tree of oil and his woodsman will chop you to pieces to burn in the Beast's dark lantern."

David shook as Rosemary told her story, clinging to Gwen and Jaspar.

"But the woodsman doesn't know of the lantern's purpose. He believes it's his daughter's spirit within the lantern rather than the Beast's. Then, one day, two brothers came to the Unknown, lost on Halloween night, and the Beast set his sights on them to turn into the horrible oil trees. He watched and waited, waiting for either of the boys to lose their will. And eventually, the elder brother lost hope of ever finding their way home. But the younger brother made a deal with the Beast… and what that deal is, nobody knows. Know this: the Beast will always collect his due."

Rosemary cackled evilly, frightening her fellow campers.

"Mom, can I sleep in the counselors' cabin tonight?" squeaked David, clearly terrified.

"Sure. That was a pretty good story." Nikki shrugged.

"Thank you, Nikki!" Rosemary giggled. "It's one of my favorites."

"Yeah, now David's gonna have nightmares," grumbled Max. "But it's time to go to sleep. We have our first camp activities tomorrow and you all know how much fun that shit is when you don't get enough sleep. So fuck off."

Everybody headed off to the tents except for David. He went with Nikki and Tabii to the counselors' cabin.

"There's no such thing as the Beast, right, Mom?" David asked.

"Right. If there was, I'm sure that I would've found it and taken over as whatever the hell its job is by now." She hugged him. "Sleep tight, kiddo."

David sighed.

_It's gonna be a long summer…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY FUCKING GOD I'M SO SORRY
> 
> It has been FOREVER since I updated this! Again, I am so fucking sorry!
> 
> I've been busy with shit. I have school (college) and I just leapt headfirst back into the Stranger Things fandom in preparation for season 3 in July. I am well aware that Camp Camp is coming back with season 4 on June 1. And that's why I'm jumping back into this!
> 
> As a side-note, the format for this story is now going to change and this may help me with update speed.
> 
> I am now accepting prompts! The rules for said prompts are relatively simple.
> 
> First, they must take place in THIS AU. Secondly, they do not have to take place in chronological order because THAT would be a pain in the ass. Finally, please keep this PG-13.
> 
> If you follow those guidelines and come up with a good idea, I will use it and credit you—so try to leave a name for me to credit!
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one wraps up on a high note. At least for Max.
> 
> Like I said, Nikki will be showing up later when the camp needs a new counselor. However, Tabii will be staying on as well.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


End file.
